I’m going to tell a short story now. But I am definitely looking for input and your own experiences, as I think you shall see. About 20 years ago, I got interested in making my own Sarsaparilla. (I also got interested in making my own wine. But that is for a separate thread .) When people make it today, they usually use the actual herb Sarsaparilla. (Historically [i.e., in the Old West] it was Sassafras and Birch Oil. But why argue with the crowd? Plus using one herb simplifies things tremendously as we shall soon see.) I got the herb at a local herb store, now probably closed. I’m sure you could get it on Amazon now or other online sources. I found the simplest formula was one part/one part/one part. That is always how I start with any recipe. One part dried Sarsaparilla, one part hot water (to steep in), and one part sugar to turn it into a syrup then. I then strained it with a cheese cloth. It seemed like squeezing the Sarsaparilla tisane out would have helped. I didn’t feel like squeezing. So I simply added a little more hot water. Then you have to make the syrup. I reheated again. But a purist would tell you that is cheating, since it might destroy the more delicate flavors of the herb. So how do you get the syrup, that won’t separate? I remember from HS chemistry class that is called getting the syrup super saturated (word?). I guess you could just keep stirring it. But that sounds rather tedious. Any advice you can give would be appreciated. Then you obviously cool the syrup. Two tablespoons over ice is what I used IIRC. Add Club soda as I did. Perrier would work. And there you have it. Voilà. BTW if you go with the 'original' (i.e., historical) recipe, I would exercise caution. It calls for a tisane of sassafras infused with birch oil. And both contain the poisonous compound safrole. So be careful with any herb you might just find, especially on the internet. (I personally would just go with an herb store. But as I said, I haven’t made it in 20 years.) Thoughts? Further advice?
Yep…grew all over in the Ozarks. I used to buy Sassafras tea. Jimbee is right root beer is no longer made with sassafras because of its toxic properties.
