Name: Sarsaparilla Mead
Ingredients: ¼ pound Spanish sarsaparilla; 4 pounds granulated sugar; 2 ounces tartaric acid; water

Sarsaparilla Mead

1 quart yield

Ingredients

¼ pound Spanish sarsaparilla
4 pounds granulated sugar
2 ounces tartaric acid
water

Directions

Make the sarsaparilla base

Boil the sarsaparilla in enough water for 5 hours, ensuring there is enough water to yield 1 quart after straining.
Strain the liquid and add the sugar and tartaric acid, stirring until dissolved.

Serve

To serve, mix 1 wineglassful of the preparation with ½ teaspoon of baking soda in ½ pint of water.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Sugar: Provides sweetness and body to the preparation.
Tartaric acid: Adds acidity, giving the drink a sharp, tangy bite.
Spanish sarsaparilla: Supplies the characteristic root flavour when simmered and strained.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.