Homemade Root Beer Syrup

Before you start

Root beer gets its flavor from a blend of dried roots, bark and spices, sweetened with dark sugar. This version makes a concentrated syrup on the stove, then turns it into soda with cold soda water, so there is no yeast and no bottle that can build pressure. Sarsaparilla root gives the earthy base, licorice root and star anise bring the sweet anise note, and vanilla, cinnamon and a little molasses round it out.

The build leaves out sassafras root bark, which is restricted as a food ingredient in the U.S. The flavor is still clearly root beer, just a little less sharp. Dried roots are sold by herb and spice shops; buy cut and sifted pieces, not powder, so the syrup strains clean. Simmer long enough to extract the roots, and let the syrup cool fully before mixing.

Ingredients

• Syrup750 ml (3 cups plus 2 tbsp) water
• 20 g (about ¼ cup) dried sarsaparilla root — cut and sifted
• 5 g (about 1 tbsp) dried licorice root — cut; optional, see substitutions
• 2 star anise pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 allspice berries
• 1 strip orange zest
• 150 g (¾ cup packed) dark brown sugar
• 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) unsulphured molasses
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract — or ½ split vanilla bean simmered with the roots
• Per glass45 ml (1½ oz) root beer syrup
• 180 ml (6 oz) cold soda water

Method

1. Put the water, sarsaparilla, licorice root, star anise, cinnamon, allspice and orange zest in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes, partly covered. The liquid should darken to the color of strong tea and reduce by about a third.
3. Turn off the heat, cover, and steep for 30 minutes to draw more flavor from the roots.
4. Strain through a fine strainer lined with cheesecloth into a clean saucepan. You should have roughly 450 ml of dark liquid; top up with water if short.
5. Add both sugars and the molasses. Warm over low heat, stirring, just until dissolved, about 3 minutes. Do not boil again.
6. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla. Let the syrup cool, then transfer it to a jar and refrigerate.
7. For each drink, pour 45 ml of syrup into an ice-filled glass or frosted mug and top with 180 ml soda water. Stir once and adjust with more syrup to taste.

Tips for success

• Frost the mug in the freezer for 20 minutes. Root beer served very cold tastes creamier and less syrupy.
• Add a few drops of wintergreen flavoring meant for food if you like the minty edge of some commercial root beers. A little goes a long way.
• Make a float by pouring the soda over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, slowly, so the foam does not overflow.

Substitutions

Licorice root

Leave it out and add a third star anise pod or ½ tsp fennel seed. The syrup will be slightly less rounded and sweet.

Dark brown sugar

Piloncillo or muscovado gives an even deeper, more molasses-heavy syrup. Using all white sugar makes a lighter, less traditional flavor.

Sarsaparilla root

Dried burdock root gives a similar earthy note. Without either root, the syrup tastes more like a spiced cola than root beer.

Variations

Root beer float

Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to a tall glass, add 45 ml syrup, and slowly top with soda water.

Birch-style

Add 1 tsp dried birch bark chips with the roots for a crisper, wintergreen-leaning flavor.

Troubleshooting

The syrup tastes thin and sugary

The roots were under-extracted. Simmer the full 20 minutes and steep covered for at least 30 minutes before straining.

It tastes bitter or woody

Too much root or too long a boil. Keep the simmer gentle and do not steep overnight.

Fine sediment collects in the glass

Powdery bits passed the strainer. Line it with cheesecloth or a coffee filter, and buy cut roots rather than powders.

Storage

Keep the syrup in a closed jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Discard it if it grows cloudy, smells fermented or shows mold. Mix individual drinks just before serving.