Sarsaparilla and Soda Fountains

The first time I heard the word sarsaparilla, it filled my grandfather’s mouth with such funny sounds I thought it was surely a joke. But of course it was real—what I came to know as a soda drink that tasted a bit like a root beer or Dr. Pepper, only not so sweet. Vague and malleable as memories are, I don’t know whether we had our first sarsaparilla together at the Majestic Hotel soda fountain in downtown Hot Springs—just a couple of blocks from where The Savory Pantry now stands—or whether I’ve blended memories, but that fountain is where I can still sit next to him when I want to recapture childhood. And my childhood with him was full of fanciful notions turned bona fide amazements like sarsaparilla. 

Soda Fountain at The Majestic Hotel, Hot Springs, AR where my grandfather used to take me for soda and ice cream treats (circa 1980s, I suspect, judging by the theatrical hair and the Dexters on the kid closest to the camera). Courtesy Garland County Historical Society. 

I’ve since learned that what I thought of in the 80s as the “old fashioned soda fountain” must have felt like a comfortable part of the neighborhood for my grandfather, a hometown doctor now fifteen years deceased. It played that role for countless others who visited it for both social and medicinal purposes. According to NPR’s Morning Edition contributor Darcy O'Neil  (author of Fix the Pumps, a history of the golden age of soda fountains), there was a soda counter in nearly every American city in 1875, when it was not unlike a local saloon. The soda fountain often sat opposite the pharmacy, so that the medicines it dispensed could be disguised in various sodas and elixirs (many of which were touted as having their own health benefits).

In those soda fountains, sarsaparilla was imbibed as a treatment for everything from rheumatism to skin care, impotence to syphilis. The vine, native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America, is harvested for its root, which is then ground. Wondering how to pronounce it? There’s debate between sass and sars—consider the stances of Merriam-Webster , "The Herb Guy" (this video also demonstrates how to identify sarsaparilla plants in the wild),  Emma Saying, and others. 

Sarsaparilla long fell into disuse and out of the American lexicon, but is now experiencing a rebirth. Makers like Pink House Alchemy are helping bring it back to our bars, tables, and mouths, and its flavor adds an element of interest and complexity to all kinds of recipes. I'm glad for the role that rebirth has played in encouraging me to grow closer to my grandfather once again as I dash it on my food and in my drink today. 

TWO-INGREDIENT BANANA SARSAPARILLA FRO-YO

• 4 Ripe Bananas, Frozen
• 8-10 Dashes Pink House Alchemy Sarsaparilla Bitters

DIRECTIONS

Two ingredients? Yep! That’s it. This recipe is super easy, but requires some forethought as banana slices must freeze overnight. Peel bananas. Cut in slices. Arrange on two plates and place in freezer overnight.

Next day: remove plates from freezer. Slices may have to sit out for a minute (unless you want to attack them with a fork like I did) as they’ll be stuck to the plate. Place slices in blender or food processor. Add 8-10 dashes of Pink House Alchemy Sarsaparilla Bitters.

Blend until smooth.

Note that you may have to add a bit of water, depending on your machine. Once blended, taste to make sure you like the amount of bitters used, and add more if preferred. Serve immediately. Makes fro-yo for 3-4. 

Alternatives: Stir in chopped nuts after blending. Skip bitters and add peanut butter or fold in berries after blending.

A Note from Erin: “I wanted to reminisce about the Majestic Soda Fountain, but with an eye toward clean eating. Grandpa loved frozen grapes, so I thought this creamy banana offering would be right up his alley. I used my kitchen staple—a Vitamix—which did an incredible job.” Erin writes, edits, and joyfully flits about her kitchen for The Savory Pantry.

CHERRY SARSAPARILLA COOLER

• 2 Ounces Cherry Liqueur 
• 4 Ounces Sparkling Water or Club Soda
• 4 Dashes Pink House Alchemy Sarsaparilla Bitters
• 1-2 Woodford Reserve Bourbon Cherries

DIRECTIONS

Choose a double old fashioned glass and fill with ice. Pour in cherry liqueur and dash in Sarsaparilla Bitters. Pour sparkling water or soda to desired level. Stir. Garnish with Woodford Reserve Bourbon Cherries. Sit down, kick your feet up, and enjoy!

A Note from Erin: "This definitely has a whiskey flavor, so probably not for you if that doesn't sound appetizing!" 

Meet the Maker: Pink House Alchemy’s Emily Lawson

Emily Lawson of Pink House Alchemy

When I caught up with Pink House Alchemy’s co-owner Emily Lawson by phone, she was headed to her Fayetteville, AR, gym to sweat out a cold. To this entrepreneur, even a fever is a project that can be conquered.

Pink House Alchemy is named for the 115-year-old pink house in Fayetteville where Emily lived when Pink House Alchemy was launched. “It also shortens to ‘PH’ which is a hook for me as a food scientist.” Behind the thoughtful crafting of syrups, shrubs, and bitters is a long love affair with food that started with Emily’s first job in a bakery. “I’m a chef by training,” Emily shared. She attended culinary school in Telluride, CO, and “cooked [her] way through [her] 20s,” seeking out culinary experiences and exploring life in storied cities like New Orleans, Eureka Springs, and Telluride.  

“I really meandered in my 20s and learned a lot. I finally decided I’d better get a four-year degree under my belt, so I went to the University of Arkansas where my majors were dietetics and biology. I became enthralled with food science. I loved bartending, so there was sort of a natural segue into cocktails. Also, if you’re going to launch a business, it’s smart to spot a trend and follow it.”

Emily's display at a Pink House Alchemy tasting in The Savory Pantry, Hot Springs.

We can all witness a brimming interest in specialty cocktails and freshly inspired combinations, but what factors are driving that movement? Why cocktails now? “People are paying more attention to what they’re putting in their bodies in general. The days of pounding Diet Cokes and Whiskeys is going by. People are no longer accepting additives and chemicals because they know those things aren’t good for them. There’s also a desire to learn about what we eat and drink, and to consider its composition . . . even to experiment and see if we can take an active role and even do better. Take the fresh juice movement, for example. There’s now recognition that not only is it not necessary to buy OJ in a bottle to make a screwdriver, but that the purchased product has a dominant role in the ultimate outcome of the drink. What does it mean for the taste of that drink if we juice it ourselves? What does it mean if we use better ingredients?”

A Pink House Alchemy Margarita crafted with Pink Pineapple Rosemary Shrub

Emily sees the success of Pink House as partially coming from the unique flavor combinations it brings to bars and kitchens, like the Strawberry Black Pepper Shrub and Pineapple Rosemary Shrub that are in The Savory Pantry. “There is a reason why there are food partnerships and cheese pairings; certain flavors are natural mates like orange juice with breakfast, wine with cheese, Coke with a cheeseburger. They just make sense and taste right together.”

And Pink House Alchemy is a natural mate for The Natural State. PH was able to expand its production dramatically thanks to the Arkansas Food Innovation program at the University of Arkansas, which uses a fee-based system to provide access to facilities for nascent food production businesses in the state that would otherwise struggle to comply with federal and state regulations. “We are not 100% organic,” says Emily, but we pride ourselves on ethically sourcing, working as hard as we can to source our ingredients as close to home as possible. All our berries, for example, are from Arkansas—blueberries, strawberries, elderberries. Our Caramel Black Apple Syrup is made from Arkansas black apples.”

Before she hopped on the elliptical, Emily shared what she’d tell anyone looking to get experimental with PH products. "For a solid basic bar, you’ll want a good selection of bitters and syrups; you’ll need bitters for everything you do. A good tonic. A solid grenadine. A Sodastream is a great investment to carbonate cocktails and sodas. Beyond the bar, our Lavender Syrup and our Cardamom Syrup can do everything—think breads, muffins, oatmeal, icing, ice cream.  “Every four months we come out with something seasonal—right now it’s the Caramel Black Apple Syrup. For what’s going to ultimately end up on menus down the line, follow the trend of what producers are doing because we’re looking at everything and considering it all.” And after just one conversation, it’s clear that Pink House Alchemy is.  

 Look for Erin’s upcoming Taste.Savor.Share Blog post related to Pink House Alchemy’s Sarsaparilla bitters. 

Let’s Toast Julia Child!

Julia Child’s former summer home and iconic kitchen in Provence are opening for cooking lessons, retreats, and Airbnb rentals in the spring of 2017. 

The announcement sent my petit coeur soaring. Closing my eyes, I flew to Julia’s kitchen; her voice resonated from its tiles and pinged from her copper pots, referencing all its octaves. In my daydream, Julia lifted a grand piece of beef onto the chopping block as her first step in making steak au poivre, and instructed me step by step. Opening my eyes, I regretted that I wasn’t in France with Julia, but in my own home kitchen, left only with thoughts of a someday trip of a lifetime.

Then I thought, Why wait? Julia would not want me grumbling about a distant future plan. She’d want me celebrating what’s already surrounding me. So I decided to look up her favorite cocktail, which makes great use of cocktail bitters.

Toast the re-opening of Julia’s home with The Savory Pantry by trying this light and refreshing, equally no-fuss twist on the “Angosoda” she loved, along with another Julia-inspired champagne cocktail with aromatic bitters.

Barrel Soda

• 4–8 dashes Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters to taste*
• 1 slice of lime
• 4–6 oz of your favorite sparkling water
• 1 handful of ice cubes

*Fee Brothers says, “These limited-edition bitters are bottled only once a year, in the spring, and when they’re gone, they’re gone!” Order now while we have stock.

Directions

Pick a glass you love, preferably one that is transparent so you can enjoy the drink’s color. Add ice to ¾ line of glass. Dash your bitters. Squeeze your lime and toss it in the glass with abandon. Fill with sparkling water to just below top of glass.

A Note from Erin: “This recipe is perfect for an occasion when one wants to feel festive without getting catawampus. It is also practically calorie-free. Julia Child is quoted as having said, ‘The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook,’ and to the extent that this is a diet drink, it would certainly play that role well. It will not offend a palate that finds whiskey distasteful, but promises a surprising cinnamon and woody complexity. I love the zippy squeeze of lime—what my husband calls a ‘working lime’ (versus one that’s just there to look pretty).” Erin writes, edits, and joyfully flits about her kitchen for The Savory Pantry.

The Tomahawk Twist

• 1 Blood Orange
• 2 dashes Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters*
• Champagne or Prosecco to fill

*Fee Brothers says, “These limited-edition bitters are bottled only once a year, in the spring, and when they’re gone, they’re gone!” Order now while we have stock.

Directions

Pick a glass you love, preferably one that is transparent so you can enjoy the drink’s color. Cut blood orange in half. Cut one round for garnish and set aside. Juice blood orange into glass (or use separate glass and then pour into the glass you’ll use if you want to be extra tidy. Careful! Blood orange juice will stain). The size of your glass and your tastebuds can determine how much blood orange juice you use. Add 2 dashes of Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters. Fill to top of glass with Champagne or Prosecco. Note that you can find single-serving bottles, so this would be a fancy surprise for spring picnic with someone you want to woo! 

Mock-tail or low-alcohol alternative: Substitute San Pellegrino’s Blood Orange or Limonata Sparkling Fruit Beverage for Champagne or Prosecco. Bitters do contain alcohol, but you’re just using dashes. 

A Note from Erin: “This recipe was inspired by a report of Julia Child being taught to open a champagne bottle with a tomahawk by a Colorado restaurateur. Now that’s fun! I love the festive nature of champagne and prosecco, and the idea that every occasion becomes special when a cork is popped. For this cocktail, I was drawn to the currently-in-season and always intriguing blood orange, as it seemed to speak to what could have happened if fate had differently guided Julia’s hand.” Erin writes, edits, and joyfully flits about her kitchen for The Savory Pantry.

Recipe: Chocolate Truffles with Aromatic Bitters

• 1/2 pound good bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 pound good semisweet chocolate
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon brewed coffee, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon bitters (I used Pink House Alchemy Sarsaparilla Bitters)
• Confectioners' sugar and/or
• Cocoa powder and/or
• Pecans finely chopped in a food processor

1. Chop chocolate very finely and place in large mixing bowl.
2. Bring cream to a boil. As soon as it is boiling, remove from heat.  Wait 20 seconds and pour through a mesh, over the chopped chocolate.
3. With a whisk, blend the chocolate and cream until smooth.  
4. Whisk in coffee and bitters. Allow the mixture to come to room temperature for 1 hour.
5. Scoop teaspoon-sized portions onto a baking tray lined with a Silpat or parchment.  Refrigerate the scooped portions for 30 minutes to an hour.
6. Remove from the fridge and roll each portion in your hands to create a ball. (They won't be perfect spheres, don't fret!)
7. Roll each ball in confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, or finely chopped nuts.
8. Store truffles in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 40-60 truffles, depending on size.

Creative Notes:  

• This is a messy process and you will get chocolate all over your hands!  Which also makes it fun. You might try working with disposable plastic gloves.

• Good to roll up a couple of truffles at a time and coat them in coating of your choice while they are still sticky from the warmth of your hands.

• Research reveals that anything above 60% cocoa is considered semi-sweet and anything above 70% cocoa content is considered bittersweet. This is helpful when selecting The Savory Pantry’s specialty chocolate bars that meet these criteria.  

• Choose all bittersweet or all semi-sweet, depending on taste preference.

• A melon baller would work well for scooping the initial portions of chocolate that will later become truffles… the closer you can get them to round in the portioning, the easier your job will be when it comes time to roll them in your hands.

A Note from Amy: I live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where humidity must be taken into consideration when making truffles and other recipes that require setting or cooling, as humidity prolongs the setting-up process. The light went off inspiring this recipe after trying the Prestat Truffles Keeley carries at The Savory Pantry, and wanting to try my hand at them. I’d heard bitters could be substituted when vanilla extract was called for. I received some bitters as part of a cocktail gift from Keeley when my husband and I were married last May and I was excited to branch out from using them in Old Fashioneds. I provide graphic design for The Savory Pantry, and maintain it’s Facebook and Pinterest pages.

Bitters: The What and The Why

There’s an awful lot to know about the curious and storied world of bitters. We’re excited to do the research and sampling for you in the coming weeks and share what we’ve learned, a dash at a time. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the countless ways that bitters can spice up all that flows from your pantry—beyond the world of original cocktail recipes, we’ll also introduce you to incorporating bitters in your sweets and savories from chocolate truffles to soups. Stay tuned!

Let’s start our bitters journey with a brief and piquant history . . .

Tantalizing Tastes: In The Savory Pantry, good taste always comes first. Bitters result from infusing high octane spirits with an array of barks, roots, herbs, botanicals, fruits, and spices. The result is a concentrated and pleasantly pungent rush to the tongue, which is why they are meant to be used in splashes and dashes. For a sauce corollary, think of the rich result of making a reduction and how that adds depth and intrigue to your dish. With only five basic taste sensations in the human palate (bitter, sour, sweet, salty, and umami), it sure would be a shame to live without fully appreciating one! Perhaps bitter has gotten an unfairly bad rap—we certainly seek to avoid “bitter” individuals—but we think you’ll see after some exploration of this underappreciated taste sensation, bitter can be better!

Healing Elixir or Snake Oil? Bitters got their start being touted as cure-all elixirs, said especially to promote healthy digestion (a benefit that some still claim today, and about which there is abundant reading online). They could be spotted at soda fountains, where they would be combined with soda water by a soda jerk and used to disguise the liquid medicines dispensed by the often adjoining pharmacy. Prohibition nearly wiped out bitters, save a few commercial brands, but as the interest in classic cocktails has experienced resurgence, makers are crafting splashy twists on the bitters of yore. Many bitters still salute their colorful past with their apothecary-reminiscent wrappings. 

Thanks to its growing popularity, there are bitters to interest every palate, since of course what creates the best tastes is a complex and individual answer. Here at The Savory Pantry, we have a dozen available flavors ranging from whiskey-barrel aged to rhubarb to sarsaparilla, so you can select those most appealing to you.

Queue up your bitter buds and prepare to join us on a bitter adventure!

Shop this article > Bar 40 Bitters, Fee Brothers, Classic Old Fashioned Kit, Hudson Standard, Pink House Alchemy