r/Amaro • u/johanlenox • 1d ago
root beer cocktail
saw a tweet recently that said root beer these days is mostly made without the use of sarsaparilla, even though that's really supposed to be the main flavor in it. it sounded like bs to me but i looked it up and it seems true. this got me thinking if i could just use whatever they're using to triangulate into that flavor without any actual sarsaparilla ingredients and i eventually got there with this spec. i have to say everyone i've given it to is shocked at how much it tastes like the real thing. i tried getting there with other amari like meletti in the past (i often describe amaro to ppl as being similar to root beer and dr pepper) but this is what did it imo
1 Licor 43 (mostly a ton of vanilla flavor)
1 Branca Menta
10 dashes Ango
bar spoon absinthe (the combo of the anise w the mint from the branca menta is a big part of the flavor here)
top with soda
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u/RookieRecurve 23h ago
I really need to get a bottle of Branca Menta. Nice work on building a cocktail from scratch! I have made root beer bitters in the past, and they were spot on. I used sarsaparilla in mine.
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u/johanlenox 16h ago
thats awesome, i know there's a few brands of root beer bitters out there too but never purchased
yea i keep both fernet and menta around, i find surprisingly little overlap in which one i wanna use for which drink
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u/heyyou11 14h ago
Speaking of that Dr Pepper comparison, I did a similar thing as you with Dr. Pepper. Sub fernet for a couple fruity/almondy liquers and it’s otherwise kind of similar.
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u/johanlenox 11h ago
post a spec!
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u/heyyou11 11h ago
It's been so many permutations that all work, but the one I've kinda settled on is:
- 1 ¾ oz Bourbon
- ⅓ oz Cherry Heering
- ½ oz Amaretto
- ⅙ oz Creme de cassis
- ⅙ oz Licor 43
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
- Rinse Absinthe (3 spritz from atomizer is sweet spot, maybe a half additional on top)
Stirred and served up. Garnishes well with a cherry. My first comment was actually thinking this was r/cocktails (half of why I end up posting something with technically no amaro in it)... Full disclosure the goal wasn't "exactly Dr Pepper". It was "tastes like a cocktail but also like Dr Pepper". The bourbon obviously makes it drink boozy, but it hits as many of the 23 notes as reasonable with so few ingredients IMO
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u/johanlenox 9h ago
alright i can prob do most of this, gonna have to be maraschino for the heering though
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u/heyyou11 9h ago
Yeah maraschino would probably make a good drink, but it would certainly change it. I’ve made “pseudo-heering” in the past with half maraschino liqueur and half syrup from the cherries.
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u/ciccio_started_it 17h ago
Damn this sounds delicious