The Old-School Drink Beloved By Cowboys In The Old West

Whisky was the drink of choice for ranchers in the Old West. Often prepared in-house by saloon owners, this punchy moonshine was so strong it was nicknamed "rotgut." However, there was a rival non-alcoholic beverage in town that was popular among thirsty cowboys who needed a quick pick-me-up without the distinctive burn or the risk of inebriation. Known as sarsaparilla, this old-school soft drink was essentially a type of root beer that was promoted as a health tonic.

Along with cowboy beans and vinegar pie, sarsaparilla is one of the eight foods that got their start in the old west because the ingredients were readily available in the locale. This herbal, almost bitter-flavored beverage was made from the dried root bark of sarsaparilla plants, from the genus Smilax, that are native to Mexico, Peru, and Central America. These prickly trailing vines were used by indigenous people to treat health conditions, such as psoriasis, eczema, and arthritis, which is why sarsaparilla was billed as a restorative drink that could cure all manner of ills from hair loss to tuberculosis. 

The non-alcoholic drink was available in saloons across 19th-century America, but the sarsaparilla root bark was somehow replaced with root bark from the sassafras tree instead. This may have occurred because sassafras didn't have as strong a flavor profile as the original sarsaparilla bark, which was particularly bitter and had a medicinal-like taste.

Sarsaparilla lost its appeal over the years, but inspired the creation of other types of root beer that were prepared with a blend of roots (versus one specific root). These options rose in popularity due to their sweeter flavor profile, which wasn't as biting. While root beer is a mainstay in the soda aisle, sarsaparilla is more of a niche product with an earthier, bitter character and almost woody quality that is definitely an acquired taste. Grab a bottle of sarsaparilla today, and many modern recipes don't mention barks or roots on the ingredients list.

Instead, the drink's distinctive taste is recreated using natural and artificial flavors. Other ingredients, like licorice or vanilla bean, are used, too, to offset the bitterness and create a better balance. However, there are still some brands that use sarsaparilla extract. Meanwhile, sassafras is not used in sarsaparilla or other varieties of root beer-style drinks at all because it has been banned by the FDA due to carcinogenic concerns.

If you do manage to get your hands on a bottle of sarsaparilla, why not make a cowboy-style recipe to serve with it? For instance, a filling old-west dish that used local produce and is open to improvisation with available ingredients is a variety of chili made with ground beef and kidney beans.