Vanilla Sarsparilla Soda tastes similar to root beer, since it is derived from the same root. But this simple soda concentrate only uses a few ingredients, and is easy to make. Look for dried sarsparilla at a natural foods store that sells dried herbs in bulk. This recipe makes a vanilla sarsparilla syrup that you can then add to seltzer water to make soda. To make the soda, use a homemade soda maker like the SodaStream Jet or simply use bottled seltzer water.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup dried sarsparilla root or sassafrass root
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preparation:
- In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar and sarsparilla or sassafrass root. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes until mixture is darkened and slightly syrupy.
- Cool slightly, then strain into a bowl through a very fine mesh strainer or a wet cheesecloth. Stir in vanilla extract. Let cool completely.
- To make soda, combine 1/4 cup of the concentrate with 3/4 cup seltzer water to make an 8-ounce (1 cup) serving of vanilla sarsparilla soda.
This recipe for Vanilla Sarsparilla Soda makes about 6 servings.
