Make-Ahead Root Beer Syrup Recipe for Homemade Soda & Cocktails

This Root Beer Syrup recipe is a long-time favourite with my kids. It produces the most authentic homemade root beer syrup you can make without fermenting. It’s simple, delicious, and achievable at home.

I love fizzy drinks—usually plain or lightly flavored seltzer—but two sodas top my list: ginger ale and root beer. I enjoy their warm, spicy notes, but I don’t like the excessive sugar in most commercial sodas.

My dad taught me to make ginger ale from scratch a few years ago, which solved that craving. Until recently, though, I hadn’t found a satisfying homemade root beer option that didn’t rely on pre-made liquid extract kits. Those kits work, but I prefer making things from the ground up.

That led me to Hank Shaw (Hunter Angler Gardener Cook), whose approach and recipes inspired this syrup. I used dried burdock root that grows locally, ordered dried sassafras (not available here), and pulled the rest of the spices from my cabinet. The process is essentially a slow infusion of roots and spices in water, followed by the addition of molasses for color and depth, and a final simmer.

One crucial element is wintergreen. Smell a bottle of root beer—sassafras and wintergreen are the dominant scents, and wintergreen is especially important for the classic profile. If you can’t find fresh wintergreen leaves, use a small amount of wintergreen extract or flavoring rather than substituting peppermint.

The aroma while the roots and spices simmer is amazing. The first taste straight from the simmering pot can be bitter, so let the infusion cool and steep overnight if possible. In the morning, strain the infusion, measure it, return it to the pot with an equal amount of sugar by volume, and simmer briefly to make a syrup.

Taste-wise, this homemade root beer is very different from store-bought sodas. It’s full of character, not cloyingly sweet (unless you increase the sugar), and it tastes “real.” We prefer it mixed with plain seltzer over ice for a bright, rootsy root beer, but the syrup also works beautifully drizzled over vanilla ice cream for a root beer float or used to sweeten iced tea for a unique twist.

My husband, who usually dislikes soda, liked this. Three of our five kids declared it the best root beer they’ve tasted; one never liked root beer and another was being contrary—so overall it’s a hit.

Use this to make Root Beer Syrup:

• Dried sassafras root
• Dried burdock root
• Whole coriander seeds
• Star anise
• Clove
• Dark molasses (not blackstrap)
• Wintergreen leaves or wintergreen extract