Sassafras was among the few things sent back to England by the colonists, who were confident that its very pleasant gragrance meant it might be a valuable medication. We made rootbeer when I was small. It was hard in those days to cap the bottles properly to keep CO2 from blowing stopper out. And after about three days the sugar had been used up, and it didn't taste as good. It was only in our imagination an alcoholic beverage.