Rootbeer
Experience being transported back in time. A childhood favourite brought to life in this blend of Sassafras, rich vanilla, cloves and spices. We are so used to Rootbeer being a flavour. Give your nose the treat of Rootbeer, it smells so Yummy and leave your mind racing.....
Really this changed my life ;o)
Did you Know?
Root beverages were originally made by the indigenous people of the Americas for culinary and medical reasons. This was part of their natural medicine or every day life in some cases.
European techniques were applied to make traditional sassafras-based beverages similar to root beer of the 16th century. What we now call Rootbeer was sold in confectionery stores starting in the 1840s.
There are many written recipes, all coming from local apothecary or pharmacists of the time. What was sold in stores in the 1850s was more like a syrup rather than a ready to drink beverage. Original Rootbeers did not just have beautiful aromatic qualities, but there were may medical benefits the original Rootbeers! (Pharmacists started marking Rootbeer for its medical properties).
Charles Elmer Hires, was the first pharmacist to successfully market his brand of root beer commercially. But his was more like a Tea, not the fermented beverage that we called Rootbeer. In 1875 Charles had made a more commercial friendly version of Rootbeer and showcased it at the Philadelphia centennial expedition in 1876. That’s when he began selling his extract. In 1886 Hiers began bottling the beverage. In the year of 1893 Rootbeerwas distributed widely across the United States. A non-alcoholic version of the root beer became commercially excess full especially during the years of prohibition ( only in the United States, from 1920-1933).
Not all root beers are made the same. In a traditional root beer coming from our indigenous people, they would have used sassafras root. Early pharmacist and druggists would’ve also been using sassafras root. Barq’s rootbeer came on the scene in 1898 and was selling a sarsaparilla base Rootbeer. Roy Allen opened his root beer stand in 1919 which led to the development of A & W Rootbeer. One thing that Allen did differently was he sold his in a cold frosty mug. Another brand commercially produced root beer that emerged during this period and it’s still well known today is IBC Rootbeer.
In 1960 the FDA bannded Sufrole (the or aromatic oil found in Sassafras roots and bark). This is what gave Rootbeer its distinct flavour. Laboratory testing on animals, showed permanent liver damage and various types of cancer. Sassafras is no longer used in commercial production and is generally replaced with artificial flavours or natural extracts. In some cases the distillation process can remove the sufrole extract
*There are no medical ingredients in our Rootbeer Fragrance oil. These are just some fun facts about our beloved drink*
