A couple weeks ago, I got the book Homemade Root Beer, Soda & Pop
. I promptly went out to buy roots. China Town was my first stop, but that wasn't as productive as I'd hoped. I did get some star anise, cinnamon bark, and what I think is cheap American Ginseng. Rainbow Grocery was more helpful. They have hundreds of glass jars filled with every spice, herb, and aromatic plant imaginable. I more than a dozen jars of various things, including sassafras, sarsaparilla, and burdock roots; and birch, cherry, pine barks. I went a little overboard, mostly because it seems like if you're going to have shelf of witchdoctoresque ingredients, you better go all the way.
. I promptly went out to buy roots. China Town was my first stop, but that wasn't as productive as I'd hoped. I did get some star anise, cinnamon bark, and what I think is cheap American Ginseng. Rainbow Grocery was more helpful. They have hundreds of glass jars filled with every spice, herb, and aromatic plant imaginable. I more than a dozen jars of various things, including sassafras, sarsaparilla, and burdock roots; and birch, cherry, pine barks. I went a little overboard, mostly because it seems like if you're going to have shelf of witchdoctoresque ingredients, you better go all the way.
So I recently have become obsessed with making my own root beer. In looking for good recipes I found your blog, and was pleased to know that there was someone else out there trying to make root beer the old fashion way. To add to my pleasure you are in the bay area. I am in san jose.
ReplyDeleteSo to my real comment. I have found a company called Monterey Spice Company. You can order roots from them on line or visit their store in santa cruz. I have found that they have everything that I could ever want and their prices are the best.
Also I have started using a cornelius keg to carbonate and have liked the results, do you have any experience with keging?