Easy Old Fashioned Homemade Root Beer

When the days bring warmer temperatures, I crave a cold glass of something from my Cajun upbringing: Homemade Root Beer. It's a refreshing, non-carbonated drink of root beer extract, sugar, and water. Our Cajun mamas were the cool neighborhood root beer moms before the Kool-Aid moms became popular!

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My fondest memories of playdays were outdoors with my cousins at my aunt's house. To satisfy our thirst, she would make a batch of homemade root beer and serve it in small, metal glasses shaped like Coke bottles. The drink was so cold that the cups would stick to our hands, but that didn't bother us. It was a sweet treat that refreshed us from the hot, humid southern heat. That syrupy brew filled us with more energy to burn.

This good root beer isn't the drink you find on grocery store shelves today. It's made with the simple ingredients of root beer extract and sugar-sweetened water. There's no high fructose corn syrup, and it isn't infused with carbon dioxide or filled in plastic or glass bottles, either. We weren't used to much carbonation, so this drink comes without the fizz. 

Any root beer fanatic takes to it quickly. Those who taste it for the first time may not care for it and may need time to acquire the taste. Maybe they're expecting the fizz from a canned or plastic bottle of root beer made with soda water, but it's not like that.

Real root beer flavor comes from sassafras root. Since 1889, before sodas were readily available, it has been made into a drink to refresh many in the hot southern Louisiana climate. Today, sassafras root is illegal because of claims that it causes cancer when given to rats as lab animals in massive doses. Yes, that's what I read in this article. Since then, commercial soft drink makers and makers of root beer-flavored concentrates had to get creative with an alternative flavor. 

Try this Homemade Cold Brew Coffee for another cold drink recipe.

Jump to:

• Storage
• Top Tip
• Substitutions
• VARIATIONS
• FAQ
• Pairing
• Easy Old Fashioned Homemade Root Beer
• Comments

INGREDIENTS

Like most traditional root beer recipes, you must start with the common ingredient, root beer extract or concentrate. Most brands of root beer flavoring claim to be made with natural and artificial flavors, such as Wintergreen, licorice root, molasses, caramel, cinnamon, and vanilla. Zatarain makes a delicious Zatarain's Root Beer Concentrate or Watkins Root Beer Concentrate; either is good. 

Not surprisingly, Emile Zatarain, a New Orleans grocer, sold this first product. Emille formulated the root beer concoction in 1886 and started producing it in his factory in the late 19th century. It's been around ever since.

Here's what's in the drink:

• Water - cold water or at room temperature; purified or spring water is better-tasting, but straight from the tap will do.
• Root beer extract - a concentrated flavoring made of a combination of flavors that mimic the original sassafras root beer.
• Sugar - you may use as much as you want; some like it more syrupy than others.
• Lemon - cut into wedges for added flavor, optional.

The ingredients and amounts are in the homemade root beer recipe card below, along with nutrient information.

INSTRUCTIONS

I'm amazed how many people have never experienced the goodness of this drink. My husband (Mississippi Man) was one of those who had been denied this treat until he met me. The first glass I served him was love at first sip. Thankfully, our children like it, too.

The flavoring is a staple in our kitchen cabinet. To make this drink, all it takes is a spoonful of the dark concentrate stirred into a pitcher of water with sugar.

• The first step is to fill a pitcher with 2 quarts of water.
• The next step is to add root beer concentrate and sugar.
• Stir until the sugar melts.
• Place in the refrigerator to chill or serve with ice and lemon wedges, if preferred. The lemon wedges give it an added taste. It goes excellently with sugar cookies; warning: this can be addictive.
• Keep refrigerated.

HINT: Adjust the amount of root beer extract and sugar to make it as rich or light as possible.

Storage

Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days in a covered pitcher.

Top Tip

Reduce the water to 1 cup, as called for in the recipe, to keep a container of homemade root beer syrup in the refrigerator. This way, you can use the root beer mixture to easily make one serving at a time by adding ice cubes and water to taste

Substitutions

• Substitute sugar with your favorite artificial sweetener.
• Use carbonated water instead of regular spring, filtered, or tap water.

VARIATIONS

• Here's another variation that my Maw-maw Trahan used to make. Since she lived on a rice farm fifteen minutes from town, running to the store wasn't easy. So she purchased root beer concentrate from the Watkins salesman who visited her home. After making a pitcher full of her own root beer, Maw-maw would pour it into a rectangular pan and freeze it for several hours. Then she'd take it out to partially thaw on the kitchen table. We'd gather around to watch with anticipation as she scraped the top of the frozen block with a long-handled metal spoon and served the slush to us in small glasses.
• To make homemade rootbeer with carbonated water or club soda, see this recipe from Zataran's website for a DIY root beer recipe.
• Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to a glass of homemade root beer drink to make a root beer float or black cow, as my mama used to call it.

FAQ

How do you make homemade root beer?

One way is to use root beer extract or concentrate. Add it to water and sugar, stir, and serve over ice.

Can you make root beer from home?

Yes! It's easy with a root beer-flavored concentrate, water, and sugar or sweetener.

Pairing

These cookies go well with a glass of homemade root beer:

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