COOKLORE


Root Beer and More



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Ginger Beer Powders





1879



Powdered white sugar, 2 drams; powdered ginger, 4 grains; carbonate of soda, 26 grains; mix and wrap in thin paper. For use dissolve each separately in 1/2 a glass of water, mix, and drink while effervescing.



Spruce Beer





1909



Allow an ounce of hops and a tablespoon of ginger to a gallon of water. When well boiled strain it and put in a pint of molasses or a pound of brown sugar and half an ounce or less of the essence of spruce. When cool add a teacup of yeast, and put it into a clean, tight cask and let it ferment for a day or two, then bottle it for use. You can boil the sprigs of spruce in place of the essence.


Root Beer Frappe





1922



To 6 ounces (3/4 cup) root beer add 2 cups milk and a tablespoon of ice cream and whip with an egg beater. Pour into glasses containing ice cream. Fill glasses with charged water and serve immediately. May be decorated with whipped cream, nuts, and a Maraschino cherry.



Old Time Root Beer





1943



(Fannie E. Stafford) To each gallon of water add a handful of hops, some twigs of spruce, hemlock or cedar and a small quantity of the chopped roots of plantain, burdock, sour dock, dandelion and sarsaparilla. Boil until the flavor is extracted, strain and add one tablespoon of ginger to each gallon. Sweeten to suit the taste with molasses and add a portion of a dissolved yeast cake—using 1 yeast cake to ferment 3 or 4 gallons of liquid. Bottle and keep in a warm place until fermentation commences, then store in a cool place.



Spring Beer





1943



(Fannie E. Stafford) Into 6 gallons of water put a small quantity of each of these herbs: sweet fern, sarsaparilla root, wintergreen leaves, prince’s pine, spicewood, sassafras and 2 oz of hops, and boil for two hours. Strain and sweeten to taste with molasses. When cooled until lukewarm, add 1 1/3 yeast cake dissolved in warm water. Bottle and keep in a warm place until it begins to ferment. Store where it is cool.


Spruce Beer





1943



1 gallon boiling water

3/4 tsp each of these oils: spruce, wintergreen and sassafras

4 gallons of cold water

3 pints of molasses

2 cakes compressed yeast


Pour boiling water over the oils, add cold water until lukewarm, then add the dissolve yeast cake and molasses. If some cold water remains, heat until lukewarm and add. Let stand 2 hours and bottle. Keep in a warm place until ready to use. Should be ready to serve in 48 hours but should be placed on ice and made very cold before serving. Makes 24 quart bottles.



Syllabub





1960



One quart milk

Whipped cream

1 pint root beer

1/2 tsp nutmeg


Combine milk and root beer, whip to a froth. Chill thoroughly. When ready to drink, stir again, add mound of whipped cream and sprinkle with nutmeg.



Spruce Beer





1968



1 handful hops

2 handfuls sassafras chips

10 gal. water

1 gal. molasses

2 spoonfuls essence of spruce

2 spoonfuls ginger

1 spoonful pounded allspice

1 pint yeast


Boil hops, sassafras chips, and water; strain while hot. Add molasses, spruce, ginger and allspice. Mix well. When lukewarm, add the pint of yeast. Stir well. When mixture settles and clears, bottle and cork.



Spruce Beer





1968



1/2 pint essence of spruce

5 oz. pimento, bruised

5 oz. ginger, bruised

1/2 lb hops

3 gal. water

12 lbs sugar

11 gallons warm water

1 pint yeast


Boil spruce, pimento, ginger, hops and 3 gallons of water for 10 minutes. Add sugar and warm water. When lukewarm, add yeast. After mixture has fermented 24 hours, bottle and cork.



Root Beer





1978



3 quarts molasses

1/4 oz hops

1/2 oz wild cherry bark

1/2 oz coriander

1 oz wintergreen

1 oz allspice

1 oz sassafras

1 oz yellow dock

1/2 pint yeast


Combine molasses with hops, bark, and herbs. Pour on six gallons of boiling water. Let stand for 24 hours, strain and add yeast. Let sit another 24 hours.



Beer, Wahoo





1978



1 oz Solomon’s seal

1 oz nettle

1 oz sassafras

1 oz sarsaparilla

1/2 oz wintergreen

2 oz comfrey root

2 oz sweet fern

2 oz Prince’s pine

4 oz black birch

4 oz raw potatoes, minced

4 gallons water

1 quart molasses

1 loaf browned bread

1 pint yeast


Combine herbs, potatoes and water. Boil for six hours. Strain and add molasses. Add loaf of bread. Add pint of yeast when the compound is nearly cold. Set aside and let ferment 24 hours.