Sarsaparilla Mead
Ingredients
Directions
Boil the sarsaparilla in water for 5 hours, ensuring enough water remains to yield 1 quart after straining.
Strain the liquid and add the sugar and tartaric acid, stirring until dissolved.
To serve, mix 1 wineglassful of the preparation with ½ pint of water and add ½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.
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
- Spanish sarsaparilla
- Provides the characteristic root flavour when simmered into the liquid.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the liquid and dissolves fully into the strained preparation.
- Tartaric acid
- Adds sharp acidity that balances the sweetness and gives a tangy taste.
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Reacts with the acid when added at serving, producing fizz from carbon dioxide.
The step that matters
Adding the bicarbonate of soda at serving. Bicarbonate reacts with the tartaric acid to release carbon dioxide, which creates the fizz. Adding it too early, before serving, lets the gas escape and the drink goes flat.
“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.
You might also like
Vegetable Soup350 recipes
Raspberry Vinegar214 recipes
Brown Coffee with Egg175 recipes
Blackberry Cordial129 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.