Green River is a bright green, lime-flavored soft drink.
History
thumb|left|150px|The Schoenhofen Brewery in 2007
thumb|1935 Everett Bottling Works (Washington) products included Green River.
thumb|Ray's Drive-In in Everett, Washington, serves Green River milkshakes.
Green River soda was first created in 1916 in Davenport, Iowa, by Richard C. Jones, who owned a local confectionary shop. In 1919, Jones sold his recipe to the Schoenhofen Edelweiss Brewing Company of Chicago. It was also made by the Sweetwater Brewery in Green River, Wyoming. In 1928 Green River soda was produced by Spokane Bottling Works of Spokane, Washington, and in 1935 was of several products produced by the Everett Bottling Works of Everett, Washington, which also produced Orange Crush, Hires and Wy-an sodas. Green River soda's popularity is still remembered in Everett in the form of a "Green River milkshake" at Ray's Drive-In, which opened in 1962.[https://www.rayseverettwa.com/menu]
It was popular as a soda fountain syrup, trailing only Coca-Cola in popularity throughout the Midwest. After Prohibition ended in 1933, the Schoenhofen Brewery continued to manufacture Green River, while resuming the production of alcoholic beverages. while a vendor indicates it was offering it still via an expanding Clover Club in 2013. In addition to Sprecher Brewing, Orca Beverage of Mukilteo, Washington began production in 2025 of Green River soda under its vintage and craft sodas line.
Green River is frequently marketed as a nostalgia item, and its sales increase in March due to the association of the color green with St. Patrick's Day. While not widely commercially available, it can be purchased at some Chicago area restaurants and retailers and Menards as well as ordered directly from Sprecher Brewery and Orca Beverage.
In popular culture
thumb|130px|A glass of Green River
Early 20th century entertainer Eddie Cantor, while with the Ziegfeld Follies of 1918, penned a jingle for the soft drink entitled "Green River". The ditty was performed by Cantor and the singing duo Van and Schenck. The refrain was:
The name of the Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Green River", and accordingly the name of the album Green River, were inspired by the drink according to John Fogerty.
In Zen Studios' digital recreation of the Williams pinball tables The Party Zone and The Champion Pub in the game Pinball FX 3, all depictions of beer are replaced with Green River as a precautionary act of censorship to avoid repercussions of having the game's ESRB rating of Everyone 10+ changed.
See also
- Craft soda