NOT YOUR GRANDADDY'S ROOT BEER. OR IS IT? goes the slogan. But I don't think it is my grandpa's root beer. He didn't spike his root beer with a strong dose of Tennessee Whiskey.
The custom of brewing root beer goes back to the 18th century. Farm owners used to brew their own (then) light-alcoholic beverage for family get-togethers and other social events. During the 19th century, some pharmacists tried to sell their version of root beer as a miracle drug.
Root beer is a carbonated, sweetened beverage, originally made using the root of the sassafras plant (or the bark of a sassafras tree) as the primary flavor. Root beer, popularized in North America, comes in two forms: alcoholic and soft drink. The historical root beer was analogous to small beer in that the process provided a drink with a very low alcohol content. Although roots are used as the source of many soft drinks throughout the world, often different names are used.
There are hundreds of root beer brands throughout the United States and it is produced in every US state. It is a flavor almost exclusive to North America, yet there are a few brands from other nations around the world, such as the UK, the Philippines and Thailand where the flavor often varies considerably from the typical North American drink. There is no standardized recipe. The primary ingredient, artificial sassafras flavoring, is complemented with other flavors. The flavor in sassafras, safrole, has been banned by the FDA as a likely carcinogen. Common flavorings are vanilla, wintergreen, cherry tree bark, licorice root, sarsaparilla root, nutmeg, acacia, anise, molasses, cinnamon, clove and honey.
Although most mainstream brands are caffeine-free, there are some brands and varieties that contain caffeine.
Homemade root beer is usually made from concentrate,though it can also be made from actual herbs and roots. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic root beers have a thick and foamy head when poured, often enhanced by the addition of yucca extract.
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