h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It seems to be a soft drink available in the US, but what is sarsaparilla? What does it taste like? Can I get it in the UK? Would I want to?

I've wondered this for some time too. I seem to recall it cropping up in Raymond Chandler novels or some such.

Try root beer it is made from the same plant. It was a VD cure as well thw Wiki entry is good (just checked it) It is an aquired taste though.

it is popular in australia. unlike the american root beer it is remarkably consistent in flavour and does not have lots of added, local ingredients and variations.

it is similar to cola but has an exotic, almost smoky flavour unlike anything else.

Sarsaparilla is called "sasparilla" in US cowboy movies where it is the preferred drink of "Dudes" and if ordered at a saloon [drinking establishment not a type of automobile] wil get you laughed off the place. One species of the plant is common in Canadian forests but it is the South American species from which the drink is made. While root beer is usually brown in colour, sasparilla is colourless. It is also damn hard to get, at least in Canada.

Sarsparilla as a drink by itself isn't made here in the U.S., or at least to my knowledge. I can't find a good old fashioned sarsparilla anywhere, but root beer is sold just about everywhere.

They also make an old-fashioned hard candy with just the sarsparilla that is very good. I've seen it in stores off and on, but a lot of times it's just sold at places that have a "Little House on the Prairie" feel such as Cracker Barrel. Soda wise, probably the closest to the candy is Barq's, as others are too sweet.

As far as the taste, the flavor itself is very similar to rootbeer. The flavor's deeper and not quite as sweet, but sweet enough to enjoy.

If you want to try it for yourself, you might try the Internet to see if anyone sells the hard candy. That said, I don't know if they sell it online and what customs you might have to pay to have it shipped overseas. Hope this helps out some.

>>> It seems to be a soft drink available in the US, but what is sarsaparilla?

Almost all soft drinks are made from
1) carbonated water,
2) sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or both, and
3) some kind of flavoring.

Many plants has been used to flavor fizzy sugar water, and the sarsaparilla plant is just one of them.

>>> What does it taste like?

It has a sort of licorice, woody flavor.

>>> Can I get it in the UK?

I don't know. Probably. You can make your own, if you want. Two ways to do it are:
1) Forced carbonation, and
2) Using ale or champagne yeast.

Here's some how-to: www.hoptech.com about making soft drinks.

>>> Would I want to?
Yes. It is yummy.

BTW, the brown coloring in most soft drinks comes from caramelized sugar, not the flavoring ingredients.

http://www.fitzpatricks1890.co.uk/index.php?page=onlineshop&method=search&search=Sarsaparilla&Submit=Search

You can buy it as a cordial here!

Used to be a shop in Union street in Dundee that sold all sorts of it and original cloudy lemonades and cream sodas in glass bottles like the original Coca-Cola ones. It only closed down recently so I'm sure you can still buy it in some health food shops in Scotland.

When I last had what was called sarsaparilla it tasted like a really strong dandelion and burdock with a 'hint' of root beer. May not at all have been authentic though

The sarsaparilla drink I tried was like drinking toothpaste. The Smurfs seem to like it though.

>>> What does it taste like?

I've always tasted ginger, anise as well, and... for some reason, Dr Pepper in the root beer I drink. Anise also tastes a lot like licorice too, but in my opinion, not quite as strong as the black licorice sold commercially.