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"It tastes like celery. With water and bubbles," says themags of Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray Soda. Its most perfect use is as an accompaniment to a rich sandwich. "I rarely drink any soft drink, but if I'm eating fatty pastrami or corned beef, the only beverage I want is a Cel-Ray," says Striver. "Yep, it has a sort of sweet/spicy/astringent character that tastes great and totally cuts the richness of a butter-grilled Reuben," says mamachef. "Like Gewürztraminer with schnitzel."
"To me it tastes more like celery seed than fresh celery," says free sample addict aka Tracy L. "It's my favorite soda and I only drink diet, so that's saying a lot. I wish some of those specialty bottled water companies would come up with a celery flavored sparkling water alternative."
Discuss: Doctor Brown's Cel Rey Soda [moved from Not About Food board]
When I was a little girl, my mother would shop at Swan's Market in Oakland. It had, among other things, an Orange Julius/Celery Phosphate stand and a special treat for me would be a celery phosphate. I adored the stuff - it was a syrup mixed with regular or carbonated water, was brown in color like Coke and tasted incredible. I was never able to talk my mom into buying a bottle of the syrup,...+READ
When I was a little girl, my mother would shop at Swan's Market in Oakland. It had, among other things, an Orange Julius/Celery Phosphate stand and a special treat for me would be a celery phosphate. I adored the stuff - it was a syrup mixed with regular or carbonated water, was brown in color like Coke and tasted incredible. I was never able to talk my mom into buying a bottle of the syrup, however, so it remained a shopping treat. I have burned up search engines looking for celery phosphate with no results. The closest thing I've found is Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray. I don't drink soda, but I do drink that!! I have a case on order as we speak. I will check out Alton Brown's site and see if I can find the Celery Man.-COLLAPSE
It's kind of an acquired taste, I think, but I've come to really enjoy it too. When I was little and my parents would take us to a deli for lunch, it was the only soda my dad would drink. I'd have the Dr. Brown's black cherry; wasn't until I got older than I started to enjoy the nuances - crisp, almost spicy flavor - of Cel-Ray. Now, (since of course I've turned into my parents...), it's the only...+READ
It's kind of an acquired taste, I think, but I've come to really enjoy it too. When I was little and my parents would take us to a deli for lunch, it was the only soda my dad would drink. I'd have the Dr. Brown's black cherry; wasn't until I got older than I started to enjoy the nuances - crisp, almost spicy flavor - of Cel-Ray. Now, (since of course I've turned into my parents...), it's the only soda I drink when I go to a deli.-COLLAPSE
Look for Good Eats Alton Brown, Celery Man pt. 2 of 2. It tells how to make the soda yourself.
This being the chowhound board, has anyone tried to make their own? Could you use celery seed in soda water? Talk to us!
Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray is sacramental. The wandering Israelites drank it with the manna that fell down from heaven. An entire book of the Talmud is devoted to learned debates about which deli sandwiches should and should not be accompanied by Cel-Ray. If the Inquisitors discovered it in one's home, they took it as proof of Judaizing. Mavens still refer to it, by the way, as Cel-Ray "tonic."...+READ
Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray is sacramental. The wandering Israelites drank it with the manna that fell down from heaven. An entire book of the Talmud is devoted to learned debates about which deli sandwiches should and should not be accompanied by Cel-Ray. If the Inquisitors discovered it in one's home, they took it as proof of Judaizing. Mavens still refer to it, by the way, as Cel-Ray "tonic." Providing an early example of federal overreach, in the early 1900's the FDA's predecessor forced a change of name from "tonic" to "soda," but the observant Cel-Ray faithful have never given in. Dr. Brown, mazel tov!-COLLAPSE