Tolu Rock and Rye standing display

Containers:

Box 1, Folder 1

Scope and content:

Tolu Rock and Rye appears to have a short history of distribution between 1880 and 1881 (possibly a little later) as a patent medicine.

Classification of the drink as a medicine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries made it easy for suppliers to avoid unwanted attention from the temperance movement and to avoid the taxes placed on alcohol at the time. As a medicine, rock and rye might be drunk straight, or mixed with hot tea. Recipes ranged from a basic mix of whisky and rock candy to more complex blends with citrus and herbs. Tolu Rock and Rye likely also contained tolu itself, a fragrant tree resin. Following Prohibition, Rock & Rye continued to appear as a cocktail in bars and saloons.

This item suggests Tolu Rock and Rye was distributed by Donaldson Brothers, New York (likely among others). Contemporary newspapers and advertisements indicate this particular brand of "Tolu Rock and Rye" was a secondary company of Lawrence and Martin Company of Chicago. Rock and rye concoctions containing tolu were produced by several companies.

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