How to Make Herbal Root Beer

My first taste of ‘real’ root beer was during one of Wolf College’s day camps. I had never had homemade root beer before, only the commercial soda, so this was a real treat. I love fizzy drinks and herbal root beer was unlike anything I had tasted before. It had a complex taste, with the anise, sassafras, and sarsaparilla (what fun words) most prominent, along with spicy ginger and the deeper flavors of dandelion root and cherry bark. It tastes almost nothing like commercial root beer and I’m glad — it has a unique, herbal taste.

Root Beer in History:

Root beer has a long history — it was first documented during the middle ages, but it could be an even older concoction. During medieval times, Root Beer was called a ‘small beer,’ a spiced fermented drink with very little alcohol content. Water was rarely drank since it was often polluted,  and milk  was considered only a drink for  small children. So, fermented drinks like wine, beer, and cider were the most common beverages during this time period.

Fast forward to the 19th and 20th centuries: Root Beer was being sold as a remedy for a variety of ailments. This was the time of the Pharmacy, where one could go to pick up drinks, tonics, and tinctures that supposedly cured just about anything. In fact, Root Beer was advertised as an elixir to ‘purify the blood, promote strength and vigor and change any morbid action of the stomach, fever and kidneys.‘ It was also described as a ‘pure, delicious, health-giving temperance drink, that does the children good, refreshes and invigorates the grown folks.’

We can make our own homemade Herbal Root Beer that is healthy, good, and invigorating to both kids and grown folks alike — a 21st century elixir.

* Note: for this recipe we did not use a fermented starter (like a ginger bug or whey). Fermented starters give the herbal root beer a ‘fermented’ taste — think herbal kombucha. Instead, we use a combination of herbs to achieve the flavor plus seltzer water for fizz.

Ingredients for Herbal Root Beer:

1/4 cup sassafras bark
1/4 cup winter green leaf
2 tablespoons sarsaparilla root
1 tablespoon licorice root
1 tablespoon ginger root
1 tablespoon dandelion root
1 tablespoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon birch bark
1 tablespoon allspice
1 tablespoon cherry tree bark
1 teaspoon juniper berries
1 cinnamon stick
1-2 anise star pods
Stevia or unrefined cane for sweetener
Seltzer / fizzy water
Optional: 1/2 lemon

All of these herbs can be ordered from Mountain Rose Herbs

You will need: a clean jar, a pot and stove, a cheesecloth or jelly strainer bag