Reif's Special Cereal Beverage

Reif's Special Cereal Beverage

Foodways

Soft Drinks

Reif's Special was a product of the Purity Extract & Tonic Company of Chattanooga, reported to be at the corner of Broad & 2nd St. It was named after Charles Reif, owner of said company and Chattanooga Brewing Company and Chattanooga Glass Company.
An ad specifically targeting doctors in a WWI medical training camp brochure touted Reif's Special as a healthy alternative to soft drinks, also highlighting that it was made in a very clean & sterile facility.
In another ad in the Atlanta Journal it advertises itself as a non-alcoholic alternative to beer.
Cereal beverages are similar to beer in that they are made of a cereal grain but they were usually had very low alcohol content.
Is it a soft drink? It was 0.49% alcohol...
It did not go out of production in 1920 after the Prohibition act, though, as there is a mention of it in the Atlanta Journal in 1921. Reif's Special seemed to peak in 1916-1919 based on the mentions in various newspapers. The Purity company went out of business in 1933.

Phoenix Project

1910-1921

Emmett Cantkier

Glass

Bottle

p992 ACC 190

CCU 165