Dr. Brown's's Slogans & Taglines

Dr. Brown's is an American soft drink brand founded in 1869 in New York City’s Lower East Side, originally marketed as a celery tonic by a namesake doctor whose historical existence remains unconfirmed. The brand became synonymous with Jewish deli culture, with its Cel-Ray flavour—nicknamed "Jewish champagne" by columnist Walter Winchell in the 1930s—served alongside pastrami sandwiches for over 150 years. The product line spans Cel-Ray, Original Cream, Black Cherry, Ginger Ale, and Root Beer, plus diet variants, all produced under kosher certification. Ownership transitioned from independent bottlers to Canada Dry in 1982, and today the brand is divided: Canada Dry/Pepsi produces cans in College Point, Queens, while J&R Bottling of California holds glass-bottle rights. Despite having no website or social media presence, Dr. Brown’s remains a cult fixture in delis and specialty grocers across the United States.

Brand messaging has drawn heavily on nostalgia and deli heritage. A 1977 campaign positioned the soda as Imported from the old neighborhood, while 1986 advertisements featured the philosophical flourish I drink Dr. Brown’s soda, therefore I am, underscoring its status as a cultural icon rather than a conventional consumer brand.