Root beer is a wholly American drink because colonists were the first to make it. If you want to believe this, then Charles Hires reintroduced it to America via the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. He discovered a way to mass-produce them, releasing Hires Root Tea. He likely changed the name from tea to beer to apply to the working class. Did you know that authentic Root beer is from about 16 roots and herbs? The primary ingredient was sassafras. Sassafras came to be known as a carcinogen in1960, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned its use. Root beer accounts for three percent of America’s soft drink market. The number one spot for best-selling root beer is A&W. There is a distilled version of root beer too.

DIY Root Beer Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 gallon filtered wate...