Where to eat Ale-8-One in Lexington

Winchester's gingery citrus soda, bottled since 1926 and still the Bluegrass region's default soft drink. Lexington drinks it cold from the bottle, in cocktails and even in barbecue glazes.

The story of Ale-8-One

G.L. Wainscott began bottling Ale-8-One in Winchester in 1926, naming it through a slogan contest as 'A Late One', and the family-owned company never left Clark County. The ginger-and-citrus soda became central Kentucky's homegrown alternative to the national colas, sold in returnable glass bottles for generations. Around Lexington it turns up as a mixer with bourbon and as the traditional chaser to a beer cheese plate.

The editor picks for Ale-8-One in Lexington are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Lexington signature-dishes index or the Lexington food guide.