Root beer
Freshly poured root beer in a glass mug | |
| Type | Soft drink |
|---|---|
| Region of origin | North America |
| Introduced | c. 18th century |
| Color | Caramel (dark) |
Root beer is a North American beverage traditionally made using the root bark of the sassafras tree Sassafras albidum or the sarsaparilla vine Smilax ornata (also used to make a soft drink called sarsaparilla) as the primary flavor. It started out as a type of small beer that was brewed. Now root beer is typically a soft drink manufactured to be typically, but not exclusively, non-alcoholic, caffeine-free, sweet, and carbonated. It usually has a thick and foamy head.
Since safrole, a key component of sassafras, was banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1960 due to its carcinogenicity, most commercial root beers have been flavored using artificial sassafras flavoring, but a few (e.g. Hansen's) use a safrole-free sassafras extract.
There are many major root beer producers. A common use is to add vanilla ice cream to make a root beer float.