You might not think of the names Dryden and Palmer when you hear rock candy, but they're the preeminent rock candy manufacturer in the country. They got there an odd way: by surviving Prohibition. In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, rock candy was closely associated with alcohol. Saloon patrons would stir rock candy into rye whiskey, often as a pretense for soothing a cold or cough. Once Prohibition hit in 1920, every rock candy company in the country except Dryden and Palmer folded. They weren't without their troubles even as the lone large manufacturer. Rock candy is easy to make, so they had to come up with new ideas to sell product. In the 1960s Dryden and Palmer introduced rock candy on a stick, a novelty that helped power sales. A decade later they started adding colors and flavors to the rock candy, furthering their brand. Today they sell rock candy of all kinds, from sticks to strings, to the basic crystals made from crushed rock candy.
