09/27/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19Vsjf9opF/
Did you know a Quaker teetotaler helped turn root b**r into an American icon? 🥤
Philadelphia pharmacist Charles Hires (1851–1937) first tasted a root-based drink on his honeymoon in 1875. He loved the flavor, but the original concoction was also a powerful laxative. Back home, Hires set out to recreate it without that particular side effect.
Many Quakers at the time, Hires among them, abstained from alcohol, seeing it as one of the causes of domestic violence and other societal problems. Hires was interested in presenting his drink as a wholesome alternative to b**r. He originally planned to call his creation “root tea,” but a friend convinced him that “root b**r” would sell better, especially to Pennsylvania’s b**r-loving coal miners.
His big break came at Philadelphia’s 1876 Centennial Exposition, celebrating America’s 100th birthday and attracting 10 million visitors over six months. It was a showcase of new products, including Remington’s typewriter, Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone, and H.J. Heinz’s ketchup. Hires handed out free glasses of his frothy drink and sold packets of concentrate for home brewing. And the marketing stunt paid off: Hires Root B**r went on to become America’s first popular commercial soft drink, practically as prevalent as Coca-Cola is today.
Despite Hires' Quaker commitment to temperance, the name of his product got him into an ironic fight. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union launched a nationwide campaign against Hires Root B**r, believing it contained alcohol. The boycott lasted three years, devastating sales. Hires eventually had an independent laboratory test the drink. The results came back that a bottle contained roughly as much alcohol as half a loaf of bread. Hires advertised the results and sales soared past their pre-boycott level.
Then came another ironic and unfortunate twist. The “healthy” drink got its distinctive flavor from sassafras oil, which the FDA banned in 1960 after it was found to cause liver damage and cancer in laboratory animals. Root b**r manufacturers quickly reformulated their recipes.
Hires Root B**r stayed in the family until 1960. It changed hands several times over the years, and at the time it was discontinued in 2024, it was America’s oldest continuously-operating soft drink brand.
Not bad for a Quaker pharmacist with some roots, a recipe, and a mind for marketing!
