Ginger... What?!

Everything I have known up until this point has been a lie.

A few weeks ago, my friends and I went out to dinner at a cute little restaurant in Little Italy.  When the server came to take drink orders, I ordered a Ginger Ale.  My friend Nick commented on my selection ("Lame"), followed by my friend Bill uttering the now forever immortal words which permanently shattered the fragile illusion of perfection I lived my life on: "You know, most restaurants don't serve Ginger Ale - they just mix Coke and Sprite together and no one notices the difference.".  WHAT?!

I couldn't believe it.  I refused to believe it!  I awaited my drinks arrival in anticipation, hoping what Bill said was incorrect - it had to be.  As the server approached our table (and the world turned to slow motion), the air was tense.  We all held our breath as the glass with the golden, bubbling beverage was placed in front of me.  I slowly lifted the paper off the tip of the straw, and allowed the liquid to flow.  Sure enough, Bill's theory was, in fact, correct.  As the soda touched my lips, the glass shattered -  I knew this was not Ginger Ale, but what tasted like old Sprite with Coke syrup flowing through it.  What lies!  What blasphemy!  How could it be?  How could I have been so blind, so naive, so unquestioning and credulous?  All those years, wasted, thinking I was consuming one of my favorite beverages, could have all been falsities.

I decided to do some research, and see if this was as common a phenomenon as had just been suggested.  I went to my best friend, Google, and typed away with ferocity, hoping to stumble upon something proving all of this was wrong - it felt so very, very wrong.  What did I find?  That most restaurants, to cut costs, do not supply Ginger Ale, but in fact, have their servers combine the two aforementioned sodas to give the same coloring, while unsuspecting consumers indulge without question.  "But Hilary, doesn't Ginger Ale have ginger in it?"  Why yes, fellow readers, it does, thus adding to my complete and utter repulsion and resentment of every restaurant that has ever fooled me.  According to Wikipedia, the ingredients of Ginger Ale are as follows:

Ginger ale commonly contains ginger, sugar, and carbonated water.  Ginger ale can also contain yeast when carbonated with natural fermentation. Ginger content is often listed on labels in a general natural aroma or natural flavoring statement, to preserve secrecy of the complex proprietary mix of spices,  fruits and other flavors used.

GINGER Ale!  There is no ginger in Coke or Sprite (according to both my research, and  just general knowledge of what ingredients make up my favorite soda).  None!  How could the noble institutions, chain restaurants such as Applebees and Red Robin, take the most popular soft drink of the United States from 1860 to 1930, and give it so little justice?

Now, I have a mission.  I am going to order Ginger Ale at each and every food establishment I visit, and see if I can tell the difference between the impostor, and the true soda hero.  I will fight for the name of Dr. Cantrell of Northern Ireland (the supposed inventor of the glorious beverage).  I will fight.  And I will win.

Good day, mere mortals.  Good day.