In 1923, they became the first soft drink certified as kosher by the OU. Their success around New York was booming, but outside of the tri-state area they were hardly known.

In 1928, Schoneberger and Noble merged with the Carl Schultz Corp. and Brownie Corp. (makers of the Brownie chocolate drink) to form The American Beverage Corp. The plan was to unify their collective efforts and market their brands nationwide. The bottling facility on Water Street was closed and relocated to Greenpoint in Brooklyn.

The 1930s saw the launch of an aggressive advertising campaign for the Dr. Brown’s brand. Print ads in regional Jewish newspapers, and on radio shows, continued to extol the health benefits of the Celery Tonic. The tagline for most advertisements was “The One And Only Dr. Brown’s.” These continued throughout the 1940s and early 50s, until the federal government intervened.

In 1953, the US Food & Drug Administration questioned the use of the word “tonic” in the title of the Celery Tonic beverage, given its lack of proven health. They also took issue with the use of the word “celery” in the product name (although it was undoubtedly celery-flavored, it contained only a minimal amount of celery extract). The dispute was resolved when American Beverage Company agreed to change the name to “Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray Soda,” the title by which it remains known today.

One theory as to the Dr. Brown’s name is based on the health benefit marketing myth perpetrated on the public from 1886 to 1953. Some suspect that the use of a common doctor’s name in conjunction with the soft drink brand was a clever way to legitimize the apparent health-related boasts. Yet another national soda brand built a similar reputation on being associated with a licensed medical professional.

In 1885, Dr. Pepper was first marketed in Waco, Texas, as a “brain tonic and energizing pick-me-up.” Today, of course, it remains of one of the world’s most popular soft drink brands.