Loganberry
A sweet purple fruit drink made from loganberry syrup. It's hard to find outside Western New York, but it's a summer staple at local hot dog stands.
📍 Where to find it
Almost anywhere. Most hot dog stands, sub shops and pizzerias around here keep it in the cooler, especially in summer. You can also pick up bottles at local grocery stores. Look for brands like Aunt Rosie's and PJ's Crystal Beach Loganberry.
Local spots that serve it
📜 A little history
A purple drink on a Buffalo menu is probably loganberry. It's a sweet-tart, non-carbonated drink that's rarely found outside Western New York and nearby Southern Ontario. The loganberry fruit is a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry, bred in California by Judge James Harvey Logan in 1883.
The drink's local fame is usually linked to Crystal Beach, the Lake Erie amusement park in Fort Erie, Ontario. Buffalonians went there by boat and car until it closed in 1989, and many remember loganberry as the park's signature drink. Who first mixed it, and when, isn't documented; the idea that it started at Crystal Beach is local lore. Today bottlers such as Aunt Rosie's and PJ's Crystal Beach Loganberry (launched in 1998) keep it flowing at hot dog stands across the region.
Did you know? Loganberries are grown mainly on the West Coast, yet the drink made from them is loved mostly around Buffalo and Niagara.