Friday, December 1 marks the 132nd anniversary of the iconic American soft drink, Dr. Pepper.
In honor of the occasion, Jerusalem's gourmet street food restaurant, Crave, has put together a one-night-only tasting menu inspired by the sweet fizzy beverage Thursday night.
James Oppenheim, one of the partners of this establishment, told the Jerusalem Post that he couldn’t think of any better way to celebrate Dr. Pepper’s 132 birthday than to offer crave-worthy specials based on what they consider to be one of the world's-greatest soft drinks.
Doctor Pepper is the oldest soft drink in the world, receiving its patent one year before Coca Cola did in 1885.
The beverage was formulated by Brooklyn-born pharmacist Charles Alderton in Morrison’s Old Corner Drug store in Waco, Texas.
Oppenheim then told me that the recipe is so secret that it’s split in half and stored in two separate vaults in Texas.
At midnight, the restaurant will present patrons with a Dr. Pepper infused birthday cake and will serve a whimsical mix of kitchen creations that aim to please the adventurous foodie who might have a case of the munchies.
Dishes like Duck-Ter Pepper, a smoked duck pate on top of a slice of multigrain bread covered with strips of Dr. Pepper marmalade, Doctor Poppers, chicken nuggets coated in cornflakes and served with a Dr. Pepper bbq dipping sauce and a skirt steak marinated in, you guessed it, Dr. Pepper served with homemade tater tots and their house cole slaw.
All of the dishes were as fun as they were tasty.
Chef Todd Aarons, the man responsible for the evenings menu, told the Post: “like in South American Colombian cooking and in the southern United States, the use of Dr. Pepper with its unique dried cherry or plum notes lends itself to bbq sauces, glazes and cake recipes.”
In keeping with this theme of American nostalgic decadence, Crave is also offering their patrons an honest to goodness Dr. Pepper ice cream float.
Since the restaurant is Kosher, Aarons told the Post that the amarena cherry vanilla ice cream used in the float is homemade and is based on a mix of coconut cream and soy milk, as good as the real thing.
In addition to all of the Dr. Peppered dishes, patrons are able to pair their meals with a can of the fizzy beverage as well.