I came across Ale-8-One by fluke one winter when I was sunning my ass in Florida. I met a couple from Kentucky (Winchester, Kentucky to be exact...population: me, you & your rifle) they use this stuff for everything, from mix drinks to salsa.
On the way back home, instead of the usual overnight stay in Charleston, I veered way off course and met up with the Kentuckians, way out in the wild somewhere. They kept going on about this soda-pop I had to try before I left; so I packed up the truck and drove back into town and picked me up some Ale-8-One.
Known colloquially as Ale-8, it's a regional ginger-flavored soft drink, distributed only in Kentucky and portions of neighboring U.S. states Indiana and Ohio. It's a family-owned enterprise in the small town of Winchester. Still a closely guarded family secret, the Ale-8-One formula was developed by G.L. Wainscott in the 1920’s after experimentation with ginger-blended recipes he acquired during extensive travels in Northern Europe. He sponsored one of America’s first “name the product” contests, and “A Late One” was the winning entry. The drink’s logo, Ale-8-One, was adopted as a pun of its description as the latest thing in soft drinks.
Ale-8 could be described as a ginger ale, but with more caffeine, a fruitier flavor, less carbonation, and about 1/4 fewer calories than conventional soda. You ask me or Leroy, it tastes like flat Canada Dry ginger ale.
