Sunday 28 April 2019

Sunday Snap – The Herbal Tonic



We were in Manchester for last week's Sunday Snap of the Meeting Place. I asked which luxury car company was formed after a meeting at the Midland Hotel and the answer is

Rolls-Royce

Cruising along with the right answer were Susan, Sarah, Anne, Mary and Minoru.

We are staying in Manchester this week and having a drink. A young man by the name of John Noel Nichols decided he wanted more from life than working as a stockbroker's clerk and soap factory manager. With a loan of £100 from his family he set up a wholesale business as a druggist and herb importer. With the temperance moment gaining popularity in the UK Nichols saw there was a growing demand for soft drinks.

In 1908 on this site in Granby Row, close to Manchester Piccadilly Station, Nichols developed a drink flavoured from the various herbs and spices he was selling. At night he and his staff made the concoction in wooden barrels in the warehouse and then during the day it was delivered locally by bicycle. When it was first made it was sold as a health tonic and marketed as giving the drinker energy and vigour. It proved so popular in the local bars that within two years Nichols had to find bigger premises in Salford to cope with the extra demand. In 1913 the drink was then re-registered as a cordial.

In 1992 an oak monument was carved to mark the site where the drink was originally made. Due to it being made of natural materials it became weather worn but in 2011 it was restored. Around the bottle are the blackcurrants, grapes and raspberries which form the basis of this drink. Although it is still available in concentrated form as a cordial it is now more commonly found in carton form, as a fizzy drink and also as ice lollies in its distinctive purple packaging. This week's question is

What is the name of drink that Nichols invented?

We were joined last week by Susan and some Easter egg crafting. Sarah has been to sunny Padstow. A rhino was spotted by Mary in Hampshire. Kara has been up high in the forest and climbing trees. In Japan Minoru has been to Okinawa and the limestone cavern. Finally, Jesh found a mishmash of styles in a church tower.

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Sunday Snap

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8 comments:

  1. I’m sure it’s either Vimto or Ribena. I’m sure it’s vimto. X

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  2. It'S Vim Tonic,I.E Vimto. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. It must be Vimto because Ribena is only blackcurrants. More people seem to drink Vimto up north than down south!

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  4. That must be vimto - hope you enjoyed Manchester - we had a flying visit last week and had a lovely afternoon in the city centre - so different than when I was growing up there!

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  5. I'd have to Google the answer as I really don't know! Thanks for hosting x

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  6. It looks like prune juice, lol! Thanks for hosting:)

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