Specifically, the pop that became an unofficial medicine was Vernors; the Michigan-made ginger ale has been a part of Michigan's identity since its creation in the 1860s. For this, we need to look no further than the inventor of Vernor's, James Vernor. James Vernor: Pharmacist, Soldier, and EntrepreneurJames Vernor introduced Vernor's Ginger Ale in 1866. This is why people tend to heat it up for sore throats, and serve it like tea. Probably not, but James Vernors' medical background did lead to Vernors not just being pseudoscience.