Root Beer, Take 2

My recent obsession with old fashioned root beer is getting dangerous. I can't drive down a country road without gazing out the side window looking for sassafras trees. So to put it all to rest, and before I end up stranded in a ditch, I'm making root beer one more time this summer.

I'm brewing 1.5 L this time, so I've adjusted all my quantities and added a few ingredients based on an old time recipe I found floating on the web. The juniper berries and dandelion root came from a local hippy food co-op. They also sell frankincense and myrrh, which will make an appearance here during the holiday season if I figure out what to do with them.

8 sassafras sapling roots, each about 4" long
1 T juniper berries, crushed
2" fresh ginger root, sliced
1 1/2 tsp dandelion root
5 T sugar
1 T honey
1 1/2 tsp molasses
scant 1/8 tsp dry yeast

Boil the sassafras, juniper, ginger and dandelion in about 3 cups of water for 20 minutes. Strain well and allow to cool to lukewarm. Add sweeteners and yeast, mix well and pour into a 1.5 L bottle. Top up with cool water, cap and shake gently to mix it all together. Stand in a warm room for about 12 hours or until the bottle is very firm to the squeeze. Refrigerate until cold, serve over ice or vanilla ice cream.

I wasn't sure how much "bite" the ginger/juniper/dandelion mixture would have, so I boiled it separately and added it little by little to the sassafras tea. In the end, I used it all because the sugars tamed the bite, so I suggest boiling it all together. I tasted the brew as I added sweeteners little by little to make sure it was sweet enough and not overpowered by molasses. I made it about as sweet as sweet tea because the carbonation and chilling will cut the sweetness a little.

I haven't tasted the final product, but I have a good feeling about this batch. I'll let you know how it goes.