“B” is for Blenheim ginger ale

“B” is for Blenheim ginger ale. Blenheim's ginger ale has its origins in the Marlboro County village of Blenheim. During the late 1890s Doctor C. R. May began adding Jamaican ginger to the mineral water gathered from a local artesian spring. Originally the concoction was marketed as a palatable digestive aid. Until 1993 Blenheim bottling company avoided any attempts at modernization. Each bottle was taken off the production line and hand shaken to mix the granulated sugar into the ale. That laborious process ended when Alan Schafer, proprietor of the South of the Border entertainment complex bought out the bottler and built a modern plant. Despite a marketing push in the late 1990s, Blenheim ginger ale is not widely distributed outside the Carolinas. The spicy ale has, however, developed a cult following among food and wine aficionados.