Root Beer

Classification: root beer, soda

Source: Bob Gorman (semantic!bob@uunet.UU.NET) Issue #685, 7/23/91

Recipes from Early American Life, August 1975, Pg 12, titled "Making Your Own Soda Pop", by Caroline Kitchen Riddle.

Ingredients: (for 2-1/4 gallons)

2 gallons of water
1 1/2 cups, honey
3 tablespoons, ground sarsaparilla
1 tablespoon, sassafras
1 heaping tablespoon, hops
1/4 teaspoon, ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon, wintergreen extract (Almost all natural)
1/4 teaspoon, yeast

Procedure:

Place the sarsaparilla, sassafras, hops, and coriander into an enameled or stainless steel pan. Cover them with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow them to just barely simmer for 12 hours, making sure the water does not all evaporate. Strain out the solids and add the liquid to 2 gallons of water that has been boiled and cooled to lukewarm. Stir in the honey, wintergreen extract, and the yeast dissolved in 2/3 cup warm water. Stir the mixture thoroughly and allow it to mellow for several hours. You can then siphon off the root beer into a clean container before bottling, or fill the bottles immediately. Makes about two dozen 12-ounce bottles.