The DIY Pantry (57 page)
Authors: Kresha Faber
The original root beer was exactly that—a brew made from the dried roots of a number of plants, shrubs, and trees. The flavors we recognize today as the hallmarks of root beer are sarsaparilla and sassafrass, so they play center stage in this soda syrup recipe. And by making this as an easy soda syrup rather than a traditionally fermented root beer, you can enjoy your bubbly drink within a few hours rather than waiting for several days for it to brew.
HANDS-ON:
20 minutes
INACTIVE:
2
1
⁄
2
hours
INACTIVE:
3 hours
DIFFICULTY LEVEL:
∗∗∗
YIELD:
Serves 6; Makes 5 cups syrup
COST PER SERVING:
$ $ $ $
CALORIES:
334
FAT:
1 g
PROTEIN:
1.5 g
SODIUM:
41 mg
FIBER:
2 g
CARBOHYDRATES:
83 g
SUGAR:
74 g
3 cups water
1
⁄
2
cup dried sassafras root bark
1
⁄
4
cup sarsaparilla root
1
⁄
2
cup dried mint
6 star anise pods
1 (1") piece ginger, grated
1 cinnamon stick
1
1
⁄
2
tablespoons licorice root powder, or 2 long licorice root sticks (optional)
2 cups unrefined cane sugar
1
⁄
4
cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
20 cups sparkling water
- Place the water along with the sassafras, sarsaparilla, mint, star anise, ginger, cinnamon, and licorice root in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let steep for 2 hours.
- Strain through a cheesecloth; then return flavored water to a large saucepan and add sugar and molasses. Make sure there are at least 3 cups of liquid (add plain water to make up the difference, if needed).
- Bring to a steady simmer and stir to dissolve sugar and molasses. Remove from heat as soon as the sugar is dissolved; then stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool; then transfer syrup to an airtight container and keep refrigerated until ready to use, up to 2 weeks.
- Serve 1 part syrup to 4 parts sparkling water.
Almond milk in the store has a number of stabilizers added to make it shelf stable; fresh almond milk is rich in comparison. Even if you aren’t in need of a dairy-free milk alternative, almond milk is so creamy and luscious that it’s worth a try. Try it slightly warmed with maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
HANDS-ON:
5 minutes
INACTIVE:
4–6 hours
INACTIVE:
6 hours
DIFFICULTY LEVEL:
∗
YIELD:
Serves 8; Makes 4 cups
COST PER SERVING:
$ $
CALORIES:
68
FAT:
6 g
PROTEIN:
3 g
SODIUM:
22 mg
FIBER:
1.5 g
CARBOHYDRATES:
2.5 g
SUGAR:
0.5 g
1 cup raw almonds
4 cups fresh water
1
⁄
16
teaspoon salt
- Place the raw almonds in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Let sit for 4–6 hours.
- Drain off the soaking water and place the almonds in a blender. Add 1 cup of the fresh water; then blend until very smooth, about 1 minute. Slowly add the remaining 3 cups of fresh water (or reduce the amount for a richer milk).
- Sprinkle in the salt; then strain the milk into a large bowl through a fine-mesh sieve or a nut milk bag. Reserve the nut pulp, either to blend with fresh water for a second batch of weaker milk, or for other recipes. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.