Since
Smoke is doing his
"beer-a-day" report, I thought it might be nice to see what else is out there. A listing here is not particularly an endorsement of any product, although I do have my favorites.
Classic U.S. sarsaparilla was not made from the extract of the sarsaparilla plant, a tropical vine distantly related to the lily. It was originally made from a blend of birch oil and
sassafras, the dried root bark of the sassafras tree. In this context, sassafras should not be confused with common sassafras seasoning,
filé, used in Cajun cooking and made from dried and ground sassafras leaves. Sassafras was widely used as a home remedy in the 19th century; taken in sufficient doses it induces sweating, which some people thought had health benefits. Sarsaparilla made its debut as a patent medicine, an easy-to-take form of sassafras, much as
Coca-Cola was first marketed in 1885 as a remedy for hangovers, headaches and morphine addiction. Besides the effects of the ingredients,
sodas were popular in the United States at the time, due to the belief that
carbonated water had health benefits. In 1960 the FDA banned the use of sassafras oil in foodstuffs after evidence accumulated showing that the main constituent,
safrole, was carcinogenic. Safrole is also found in filé, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, anise, black pepper, and sweet basil, but in low enough concentration to be deemed safe.
Kutztown "Nix Besser" Sarsaparilla Soda
Sioux City Sarsaparilla
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Sarsi (Wikipedia)
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defines "sasparilla" as
Noun
sasparilla (countable and uncountable, plural sasparillas)
Alternative spelling of sarsaparilla Google searches for both "sassparilla" and "sasparilla" turned up (on 9 pages) a
rock band, a
clothing boutique, some "Sarsaparilla" nutritional supplements (of dubious effectiveness), and one soft drink. Since these drinks were originally made from sassafras, it is likely that both "sassparilla" and "sasparilla" are corruptions of that word.
