DIY preparations of food items you can usually enjoy only after purchasing from the supermarket can turn out to be really fun—and ultimately easier on your pocket. If you are a fan of DIY cooking experiences and whipping up great-tasting meals or items and other whatnots in the kitchen, then this article on how to make your own A&W root beer is for you. Next time you want a root beer float and you have the right ingredients, you can make your very own—plus a few personal twists on the recipe once you get the hang of it.
A&W Overview
One of the top names when it comes to beverages, A&W has grown to be a household favorite of many Americans. Primarily available in supermarkets and convenience stores in the United States as well as Canada, A&W was introduced to the market in 1919. Roy Allen was the man behind it, and through his partnership with Frank Wright. The name of the product itself was drawn from the initials of the two men who founded it.
Among root beer fanatics and reviews from different niches, when it comes to the root beer category, A&W happens to be the yardstick from which all root beers are based on. The formula was something that Roy Allen bought from a pharmacist. During the World War II, his franchises suffered but they continued to prevail to become one of the leading providers of this well-loved beverage today.
Make Your Own A&W Root Beer for your Root Beer Float
One of the common misconceptions when making root beer is that it has difficult-to-get ingredients such as roots, herbs, and spices in order to make it. However, it may come as a surprise for you but it takes only a few simple ingredients and a little of your time to do.
Recipe #1
Ingredients:
- ¾ cups of sugar
- ¾ cups hot water
- A liter of cold seltzer water
- ¾ teaspoon of root beer concentrate
- ¼ tablespoon vanilla extract
Steps:
- Take your sugar and dissolve it in a container which has your hot water.
- Stir the sugar and water solution thoroughly and make sure no sugar granules are left before moving on to the next step.
- Add in your root beer extract and vanilla extract to the sugar and water mixture. Mix it gently but thoroughly until the two mixtures are well combined.
- The last step would be to add to your seltzer water. You can drink your root beer preparation as soon as you finished making it, or keep it the refrigerator in a tightly capped container. This recipe will give you 5 cups.
Recipe #2
Ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cups of granulated sugar
- A cup of very hot water
- A cup of corn syrup
- A teaspoon of McCormick’s root beer concentrate
- 10 cups of precooled soda water
Steps:
- In a small pitcher enough to hold about 12 cups, dissolve your sugar using the hot water you have. Make sure everything is well dissolved.
- Add in your corn syrup and root beer concentrate to the water and sugar mixture. Stir everything completely.
- Cover your pitcher and chill your mixture until it’s cold.
- Once your mixture is cold, pour ¼ cup of the syrup you made into a cup of your cold soda water, and stir it gently. If you plan on serving everything at once, mix the whole amount of syrup you have to ten cups of soda water.
- Stir your root beer gently and make sure everything is well blended.
- Add some ice, and serve.
- This recipe will yield 10 servings of 10 ounces each.
With these simple ingredients, you can whip up your very own root beer whenever you want! Buying your ingredients in bulk can ultimately save you more money instead of having to purchase 6-pack cans of root beer when you go grocery shopping. To make the deal even sweeter, you can adjust your recipe to your preferred taste when you’ve discovered which ingredients you want to add more of! Now you can move on to making your root beer float at home, A&W style!
Make Your Own Root Beer Float
A&W root beer by itself is great. But if you want to make it even better, why not try making your own root beer float? Just add one more ingredient to your root beer making list, and you can pull this off in less than 5 minutes.
The only ingredient you will be needing is vanilla ice cream! Follow these steps and make your own yummy root beer treat:
- Take a tall glass and pour in some of your freshly-made root beer. Fill it a little more than halfway to the top.
- Take a scoop of your ice cream, and scoop it onto your root beer. Don’t worry, it will float by itself!
- Make your float even more authentic by fizzing it up some more. Gently pour in some more of your root beer on top of your ice cream until your glass is full.
- You can use a spoon to enjoy the root beer-vanilla goodness on top, or take a straw and mix everything in!
- Gulp it up!
Other items you can enjoy with your float would be:
- Homemade French fries or potato wedges sprinkled with some salt and herbs
- Takeout pizza—or homemade pizza
- Potato chips or any other flavored chips
Basically, what would make your home made root beer and vanilla ice cream float better would be something that counters its naturally sweet taste. If you plan on eating a full meal and downing it later on with root beer, here are some courses you can try:
- Steaks or breaded fried chops
- Fish and chips
- Herbed pasta
With these tips, you can further enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing your root beer float. If your kids have always wanted this treat but you avoid giving them carbonated drinks, try out these homemade recipes and they will get a taste of the same yummy goodness of commercial root beer. You won’t go wrong with it, and your whole family will enjoy at the same time!
