And, of course, Count Dracula was famous for his
root bier. "I vant to suck your, uh, blood."
And I don't even want to mention
rootin' tootin'!
sassafrass When we were kids we used to pick the leaves off sassafrass trees and chew their stems for the flavor. That's why I think the carcinogenic warning on this particular item is off the mark.
And in the historic village where I work we have a kettle cookin' sassafrass root beer in demonstration over an open fire all season long. Root beer of any kind (sassafrass, birch, etc.) naturally ferments to a mild proof (about 4% alcohol). Beer of all kinds was viewed and used as a nutritious food for centuries [note the kegs of beer they stored on the Mayflower for breakfast nourishment]. It wasn't until the late 19th Century that innkeepers began to brew beer with a higher alcohol content for recreational consumption. But two years ago we stored the sassafrass beer in a barrel after brewing it in May, and didn't open it again until the July employee picnic. I think they also increased the fermentation with yeast. You didn't have to drink, all you had to do was
smell it!...It was like grain alcohol! And what was left was allowed to stand until this year in the same barrel...phew! Talk about "rot-gut" booze!
