Yoo-hoo

Even if I do absolutely nothing else of measurable value before I go to bed tonight, I'll consider it a productive day if I do just this one thing – bust some myths and misconceptions about Yoo-hoo.

* Yoo-hoo is not chocolate milk (though it does contain a small amount of non-fat dry milk), hence the now-retired tagline, "If only milk tasted this good."

* Yogi Berra never owned the company. He was, however, a longtime spokesperson. One highly sought-after piece of Yoo-hoo memorabilia is a cigarette lighter that plays his rendition of the jingle "It's Me He For Yoo-hoo" when the lever is flipped.

* It's not pronounced "yah-hoo", "yay-hoo", "yoo-hooz" or any other such permutation. It's pronounced "you who".

* Neither Coke nor Pepsi owns the company.

Some things I can tell you that are indeed true (impress your friends, neighbors, and loved ones!) are...

* Over the years, there have been Yoo-hoo ice pops, doughnuts, soft-from-the-freezer ice cream and candy bars on the market for various periods of time.

* A limited edition of Yoo-hoo "Mix-Ups" included Chocolate-Mint, Chocolate-Banana, Chocolate-Coconut, Chocolate-Strawberry, Chocolate-Cinnamon and Chocolate-Raspberry. Of those, the Chocolate-Banana remained on the market for many years after. Sadly, Chocolate-Peanut and Chocolate-Orange never made it out of the lab, but original Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Double Fudge, Dyna-Mocha, Cookies & Cream and Island Coconut have all been part of the roster at one time or another.

* Island Coconut Yoo-hoo didn't actually go out of production. It was repackaged under the name Koko Blanco, and only was produced one day a year until ... well, if you see any on the shelves (which you won't unless you're in the Greater Miami area), grab it. They're not gonna be making any more of it. And don't worry about the expiration date because ...

* Yoo-hoo doesn't have an expiration date. It's pasteurized in the can or bottle, and, so long as the container remains sealed, it won't go bad. Ingredients may separate a tad – hence the chocolatey sludge at the bottom of any vintage of bottle, but any true-blue 'Hoo-ligan knows you've just got to shake it up.

* Yoo-hoo was invented by Tru-Fruit beverages owner Natale Oliveri in New Jersey in the 1920s. He was a believer in natural ingredients, and didn't want to introduce a chocolate beverage to his line-up of fruit juices unless he could figure out a way to eliminate the possibility of spoilage without using chemicals or preservatives. He watched his wife preserve and can her homemade tomato sauce in the kitchen, and through trial and error, developed a process to keep his drink shelf-stable in the bottle.

Why this sudden outpouring of 'Hoo trivia? Well, 'cause I recently celebrated my 'Hoo-versary. From September 8^th, 2001 through 2006, I was immersed 24/7 in all things Yoo-hoo as the webmistress of Yoo-hoo's official company website. In that capacity, I had the wonderful, glorious fortune to travel around the country (as well as around the internet) talking with Yoo-hoo fans young, old, Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, new , life-long, and everywhere in-between about the rich, chocolatey passion that united us. I came to understand how the innocent, offbeat appeal of a simple drink could bring a chocolate-splashed grin to the faces of devotes who'd taken their first sip of the stuff in the 1920s, and were now indoctrinating their great-grandchildren into the cult of life-long Yoo-hoo lovers.

There's a purity to Yoo-hoo -- a hearkening back to the childhood glee of guilt-free indulgence (and yes, there is a Yoo-hoo Lite with a fraction of the sugar and calories). It's sweet, easy-sipping, and thoroughly un-serious -- perfect with a PB&J or just cold from the fridge. I will, however, note that the most exquisite Yoo-hoo I've ever had was one drunk in the company of Dr. Yoo-hoo, himself, James Mastroberti -- keeper of the secret formula (it's in a safe in his office), and longtime grand poobah of all matters in the Flavor Lab. He'd spent a couple of hours leading me through the Yoo-hoo factory (Yes, Virginia , there is a Yoo-hoo factory, and it's in Carlstadt, New Jersey. There's another in Opelousas, Louisiana), from the brewing in of the top-secret formula (the components come in from different manufacturers and are then blended together and sifted into huge burlap sacks), to the filling of the cans.

At the point in the line where the cans of 'Hoo were cooling before being sealed up and pasteurized, Dr. Yoo-hoo grabbed one off the belt and handed it to me, still warm. He took one for himself, we toasted, and we drank. It was simply sublime -- a warm, almost caramel-sweet, smooth ribbon of chocolate flowing over my tongue, and just infusing my whole being with happiness. I looked over at Dr. Yoo-hoo. Though this was likely the ten thousandth or more time in his illustrious career that he'd tasted a Yoo-hoo, he was still smiling as if it were his first.

UPDATE - Dr. Yoo-hoo himself wrote in! See his comment!

Share your Yoo-hoo stories in the comments thread below and heck - grab a cold Yoo-hoo while you're at it. By the way, bottle may say drinkyoo-hoo.com, but yoo-hoo.com is the link that'll get you there.

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