Today I found out why root beer is called that when it doesn’t contain any alcohol. This popular soft drink pairs well with vanilla ice cream, resulting in root beer floats that are common sights at kids’ birthday parties in North America. The common version that we know today isn’t an alcoholic beverage, but a sweet soda that can be enjoyed by all ages. So why is it called “root beer?”
Sassafras is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.
The taste of sassafras tea is one of my favorite childhood memories perhaps made a little more special by the rarity of which it made an appearance in our house. Roots, Berries, Bark & Flowers: An Old-fashioned Recipe for Root Beer Brew your own. Facts About: Sassafras is a tall shrub that produces three shapes of leaves: a mitten-shaped leaf with one large lobe and a small "thumb"; an oval leaf, and a three-lobed leaf. The waxy, glossy leaves produce an aromatic mucilage. Sassafras oil has been extracted from the bark to create an aromatic additive to soaps and perfumes and provide an antiseptic. Although it was once widely revered as a medicinal panacea for many ills, today its uses are more limited. The wood is soft but flexible, used for making barrels and some furniture. The leaves provide important forage for deer. (bark ~sassafras bark ~ sassafras)
Names For Moonshine: Branch Water, White Lightning, Kickapoo, Moonshine, Happy Sally, Ruckus Juice, Joy Juice, Hooch, Panther’s Breath, Mountain Dew, Hillbilly Pop, Skull Cracker, Bush Wisky, Stump, Mule Kick, Catdaddy, Cool Water, Old Horsey, Rot Gut, Wildcat, Rise’n Shine and Splo. Old timers. Well, volumes of books have been written about moonshine so here is the Short version.
