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Root Beer & Soda Ingredients

Root beer is made from a vast variety of herbs and spices and certain barks. Here you will find all of the ingredients needed to make your very own root beer at home. Feel free to experiment with different ingredients until yu have your perfect blend.

Some of the plant materials that have been used in root beer over the years include sarsaparilla root, sassafras root, dandelion root, ginger root, yellow dock root, burdock root, spikenard root, birch bark, wild cherry bark, wintergreen bark, prickly ash bark, spicewood, allspice, juniper berries, vanilla bean, coriander seed, licorice, dog grass, pipsissewa, cardamom, cinnamon, and evenhops. Some recipes relied mainly on one ingredient; like Birch Beer and Sarsaparilla Soda. However, root beer was the king in popularity even back then.

1 oz. net wgt

Do not confuse the flavor of licorice with that of anise, which is not related and is quite different when tasted side by side. Licorice has been used for everything from cough remedies to ulcer cures. The root imparts a very characteristic flavor and is surprisingly sweet. It contains glycyrrhizin, a substance 10 times sweeter than sugar, and is often added to chocolate to enhance sweetness.