Hidden Gems Of Connecticut

NEW BRITAIN, CT — On the trip to the latest Hidden Gem, be sure to bring a bottle opener. I will definitely be needed — and likely more than once.

Welcome to Avery's Soda in New Britain.

Officially named Avery's Beverages, it is one of the oldest soda bottling companies in New England and all flavors have been fashioned in the same red barn on Corbin Avenue for more than a century.

It was back in the summer of 1904 when Sherman F. Avery began making soda in the red barn. Avery's quickly made a name for itself, particularly with cream soda, the birch beer, the root beer and the ginger ale. It was delivered by horse-and-cart for the first decade before Mt. Avery broke down and bought a truck.

A variety of fruity flavors have also evolved, the latest being a lemonade for New Britain's 150th anniversary as a city.

Avery's sodas are still "handcrafted using methods and recipes from generations ago including real cane sugar and the finest quality ingredients," according to a company profile.

Each flavor is made in small batches and is packaged only in glass bottles to preserve the "old-fashioned flavor."

What could happen to old fashioned flavor? Well, new flavors using the old method are always flying in, like the "I Survived 2020" soda.

Click here for a full list of flavors that top 50.

See more about Avery's on Facebook and on the bottler's web page.

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The Hidden Gems series features out-of-the-way mom and pop restaurants, small specialty stores you may have never heard of, little-known historical markers or beautiful nature spots that may be a bit off the beaten path, all located within Connecticut. Other columns in this series for 2021 include:

• Salt 2.0 Restaurant
• The Grave of Jonathan, The Original Husky
• Golden Gavel Auction House
• Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut
• The Cogswell Temperance Fountain
• The Old State House
• BouNom Bakery
• Union Pond Park/Jay Howroyd Fitness Trail
• The Submarine Force Museum/USS Nautilus
• The UConn Dairy Bar
• Grove Hill Cemetery, Vernon
• Backwoods Smokin' BBQ
• The Ranch House
• Connecticut State Police Museum
• Berlin Historic District
• Connecticut Parachutists Skydiving Club
• Tail Winds Ice Cream Shop
• The MLK Mural
• The Hilltop Restaurant and Bar
• Fork & Fire
• Lena's Italian Kitchen
• The Benedict Arnold Trail
• Swank Pearce
• Vernon Depot Historic Park
• Farr's Sporting Goods
• Robs Drivin Diner

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