Homemade Root Beer Recipe
Make your own homemade root beer with this easy recipe.
Equipment
- Large jar or container to mix the root beer in.
Ingredients
- 4 Quarts Cold Water
- 2½ cups Sugar
- 3 tbsp Rootbeer Extract
- 2 pounds Dry Ice Broken into Pieces
Instructions
- In a large glass container, mix together the water, sugar, and root beer extract and stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Taste it to see if you need more extract or sugar.
- Use gloves to protect your hands or you can use large tongs and carefully add the dry ice to the glass container. Stir with a long-handled spoon to prevent the dry ice from sticking to the bottom and sides of the container. The root beer will start to bubble and the dry ice will start to carbonate the root beer.
- Stir every 3-4 minutes until the dry ice is mostly melted, 10-15 minutes.
Notes
Using Dry Ice: While dry ice is safe to drink once it is completely melted in the root beer, keep in mind there are a few safety precautions to follow when working with it: use insulated gloves or tongs to transfer. Never touch it directly as it can burn your skin. Add it to the root beer in a well-ventilated area so the carbon dioxide doesn't build up and don't let children (or adults) inhale the fog spilling from the pitcher. Be careful when breaking it up into pieces. I break mine into about 3-4 inch pieces.
How to Store: Because dry ice evaporates quickly and doesn't store well, it's best to buy only what you need and use it as soon as possible (store it in a styrofoam cooler if not using it right away as it is best not to keep it in every day freezers). I buy mine the day I plan to use it.
Root Beer Extract: Any brand will do. I like the Mccormick brand, Durfee brand and a local brand in Utah called Hires
I typically double the batch depending on how many people I am serving.