ROOT

We've all had root beer before, but did you know root beer was a nonalcoholic alternative to a popular drink back in the 18th century? Called "root tea," the drink was introduced by Native Americans to some of the first settlers as an herbal remedy. It was made from sassafras, sarsaparilla, birch bark and other native herbs and wild roots, which were abundant in the area now known as the state of Pennsylvania, my home state. With abundance comes strength, which is what increased as the drink gained in popularity. In came the party pooper in the late 1800's (aka the Temperance movement) and some guy who was bad at naming things made a non-alcoholic version of the drink called "root beer."

Don't get me wrong here...I love root beer. And the name isn't completely idiotic because traditional forms of it used yeast and thus, originally had small amounts of alcohol.

Anyway, an interesting company started in Philadelphia called "Art in the Age" decided it was time to bring back the original root liquor. Their philosophy is to "[empower] artists producing high quality work marked by fine craft and intellectual rigor," working with artists, musicians and now distillers. Their ROOT has no shortage of ingredients, staying true to its original recipe: birch bark, smoked black tea, sugarcane, orange & lemon peel, allspice, anise, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and essence of sassafras (pure sassafras can no longer be used due to FDA regulations).

A sniff of ROOT will certainly remind you of the smell of the root beer we know today. A taste throws you much more complexity though; this is a robust liquor with a whole lot of taste. Art in the Age claims that it is no root beer-flavored vodka or sickly sweet liqueur, with which I'd have to agree. I enjoyed it on the rocks, but many recipes are available on their website and they also allow you to submit any recipes that you may create on your own.

*ROOT is available in Philadelphia and surrounding areas in PA, but is also available online. If you can't get any, demand it at your local liquor store!*