If someone asked you to describe the flavor of root beer soda, what would you say? We’re betting you might struggle to find an answer–or that your answer might vary greatly from your peers. There’s a good reason for that.
Root beer sports an elusive profile that has had consumers around the world scratching their heads for generations. The truth is that there’s no truly authentic root beer recipe and, in fact, recipes differ between brands as well as around the globe.
Get to the root of root beer with us as we explore the origins of this classic drink, how it evolved into a beloved soda, and why it continues to change what the world is drinking.
Common flavorings are vanilla, caramel, wintergreen, black cherry bark, licorice root, sarsaparilla root, nutmeg, acacia, anise, molasses, cinnamon, sweet birch, and honey. Soybean protein or yucca are sometimes used to create a foamy quality, and caramel coloring is used to make the beverage brown.
Making Early Root Beer
In addition to sassafras root, common ingredients of the time included sarsaparilla, dandelion root, guaiacum chips, dog grass, and more. When you are living in an uncultivated country, you can’t afford to be picky, so many of these ingredients ended up in root beer. Yep, not quite what you might expect to find in your modern soft drink.
So, how was early root beer made?
Well, the process usually started out with boiled water. Ingredients would be heated in water to create a wort. Sweeteners like molasses, honey, or maple syrup were then added along with yeast and more water. Finally, the mixture could be barreled to ferment. The length of the fermentation process determined the final alcohol content of the beer, as well as its level of carbonation.
This process is surely what inspired the first commercial root beer recipe–ironically the brainchild of a teetotaling pharmacist.
Each brand of root beers flavoring will vary slightly, differentiating one brand from another. If youre curious, set up your own taste test to find your favorite. With all these complex flavors layered to create the taste we know as “root beer,” its no wonder that vanilla ice cream is such a perfect foil. The root beer float is a perfect way to experience this traditional beverage in a modern way. Or, if youre looking for a drink with more punch, you can try experimenting with root beer in a craft cocktail.
Most root beers produced today are flavored primarily with a combination of vanilla and wintergreen, along with small amounts of ginger, licorice, anise, juniper berries, and dandelion, explains Portable Press. To this list of flavorings, BlackTailNYC adds cherry tree bark and nutmeg. Delosi Labs sells a root beer flavoring with many of the above components and adds notes of cinnamon and cane sugar.
Back in the good old days — when water wasnt always safe to drink — people drank beer, since the brewing process rendered it safer to drink. But, there are hours during the day when drinking intoxicating beverages isnt ideal, and root beers origins were created as a nonalcoholic alternative to beer, according to Portable Press. The beverage was traditionally flavored with sarsaparilla root and sassafras root, ingredients that BlackTailNYC describes as refreshing, minty, and bitter, noting that sweeteners were used to balance the bitterness.
It turns out that safrole, the oil thats derived from sassafras and sarsaparilla, is a carcinogen and has been banned by the FDA. On an interesting but unrelated note, safrole is also used in the illegal manufacture of the drug MDMA or ecstasy. While it is possible to source sassafras extract that doesnt contain safrole, most modern-day root beer producers use flavorings that dont contain any sarsaparilla or sassafras. So what does give us that characteristic root beer flavor we know and love today?
What is the real flavor of root beer? You might be shocked to find out what it REALLY tastes like!!!
FAQ
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