North Reading Resident Puts Tower Root Beer Back on Shelves

Have you ever ordered Tower Root Beer at the Horseshoe Grille or Great American Tavern? Did you know that it was created in 1914 and eventually put back on shelves by a North Reading resident?

Domenick, Giuseppe and Felice Cusolito founded Prospect Hill Bottling and Soda Water Co. in 1914 in Somerville, according to Domenick's great-granddaughter Kristin. Before Domenick registered his new business that produced Prospect Hill Ginger Ale, the Clerk at the Secretary of State’s office suggested that they shorten the name of the product. Because there was a tower was on Prospect Hill, the name logically became Tower Ginger Ale, Kristin said.

The alcohol prohibition of the 20's created a demand for root beer and other tonics, so root beer quickly became a popular beverage, according to the company's website. In order to succeed, Domenick decided to specialize in one product: root beer. A local pharmacist helped Domenick with his recipe and the root beer quickly became popular throughout the New England states. 

According to the website, in 1969 the company was sold to a conglomerate of soft drink companies. Domenick's son Richard reacquired the rights to the trademark a year later and it became a franchise, the website said. However, Richard decided to remove the product from the market in 1978. 

Towner Root Beer stayed off the market until recently when Richard's son Larry, a North Reading resident, re-established Tower Root Beer. He found the original handwritten recipe and now Tower Root Beer is sold in stores again, Kristin said. You can buy Tower Root Beer in North Reading at the Great American Tavern or Horseshoe Grille. It is also sold at various other locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

"The root beer is delicious, the flavor profile is incredible and has a unique old-fashioned taste compared to any other root beer available on the market right now," Kristin said. "We also just recently released a Tower Cream Soda and a Tower Golden Ginger Ale, as well as the existing Diet Tower Root Beer."