Take a sip of your favorite root beer. What does it taste like, besides familiar? Wintergreen, licorice, cherry, ginger, vanilla and nutmeg are among the most prevalent notes, and they make root beer a worthy flavor component for cooking and baking.
Particularly right now. Its retro taste, all-American appeal and deep spiciness seem tailor-made for fall.
Root beer's signature tang originally came from sassafras, sarsaparilla and other roots and barks that were used in the late 1800s when the drink was first commercially produced. Chris Reed, head of the Los Angeles company behind Virgil's microbrewed root beer, says his brewers still follow a traditional recipe. But most modern-day store-bought root beer is a blend of natural and artificial flavorings, plus fizzy water and a sweetener, either corn syrup or cane sugar.
To read the rest of this story please go to: The Washington Post