appalachian flip

2 oz Root Liqueur
1/2 oz Rich Demerara Syrup
1 Whole Egg

Shake once without ice and once with, strain into a fizz glass, and top with pale ale (Sierra Nevada).

Normally, I do not like to post recipes that require specialized ingredients that I have not seen on the market, but this drink was damn tasty. And it also used a beer float to a great effect which is always a bonus in my book. Root is a liqueur based on Colonial recipes for root tea that was brewed from sassafras, sarsaparilla, and wintergreen birch bark amongst other roots and herbs. With the temperance movement at the end of the 19th century, this spiritous brew morphed into root beer soda. While Art in the Age's version does not use sassafras (banned by the U.S. government in the 1960s), they have tried to replicate the flavor as best as possible. So far it seems that their current day product has not moved too far from Pennsylvania yet.

The flip I had with Root was created by Al Sotack, head bartender of the Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co., in Philadelphia (link has a video of him making one). The Appalachian Flip was rich with diverse root beer-like flavors without seeming simple and syrupy like today's soda versions. The pale ale served to lighten up the drink and the hops signature complemented the herbal ingredients in Root rather well. Al should be commended not only for the creation of this drink, but for his willingness to double-shake up these badboys nonstop for the entirety of the tasting room session.

The tasting booth also had the company's newest product, Snap, which is their ginger snap (cookie) liqueur. I did not have the opportunity to try it, but I have high hopes for it given the craftsmanship they put into their Root product.