i am trying to make my own root beer for a restaurant. we will be making a syrup and carbonating via a fountain machine. i would like to make a recipe using essential oils because it saves time and space and is easier than simmering roots, etc. i need help. i tried some things that did not work. i am stuck. i could really use help figuring out what oils to buy and where. and also possible ratios of one flavor to another. i have figured out cola, ginger, lemon lime, but this root beer is really hard!

it's amazing. i have been looking for days and hours for artificial sassafrass flavor on the internet and only found one site that sells it and the biggest bottle is 4 ounces. i know i will need this for my recipe but lord have mercy is it hard to find!
i have lots of food grade oils here, wintergreen, anise, bl pepper, allspice.... but i need the sassafrass flavor. i tried an extract but it was not strong enough and too expensive. wow. i really need advice. thanks:)

It might be hard to find larger quantities, but let me check later today to see what I can find.
_________________
Bottoms up!
Kevin Guske

So heres a tribute toast with root beer in hand to you and the many mugs of suds along your happy trails. --Charles Wysocki, artist and root beer fan, 1928-2002

thanks. after a few more hours i did find this site:
http://www.naturesflavors.com
and i have enough other oils to try some recipes now. it seems hard to find a lot of the root beer oils. but after i get the artificial sassafrass i will have that plus wintergreen, anise, fennel, cinammon bark, wintergreen, pappermint, clove, coriander and nutmeg. seems like these might work but i guess i'm just stabbing in the dark at amounts to add. any advice on ratios would be nice, even if just "heavy on these and lighter on these..."
thanks so much for any help.

Wish I could provide guidance on that, but I haven't attempted to make much myself. You might be able to get some pointers from Only registered users can see links on this board! Get registered or login! or Only registered users can see links on this board! Get registered or login!, who have been much more prolific...

satch wrote:

i am trying to make my own root beer for a restaurant. we will be making a syrup and carbonating via a fountain machine. i would like to make a recipe using essential oils because it saves time and space and is easier than simmering roots, etc. i need help. i tried some things that did not work. i am stuck. i could really use help figuring out what oils to buy and where. and also possible ratios of one flavor to another. i have figured out cola, ginger, lemon lime, but this root beer is really hard!

Have you tried just wintergreen or sweet birch oil (methyl salycilate) plus a vanilla-like flavoring such as methyl vanillin? Just those two components should get you close to A&W Root Beer. From there, you can make refinements. I am going to guess that the best vanilla-like compound for root beer is Heliotropin (Pipernol) because, next to Safrole, it is a major constituent of sassafras oil. Unfortunately, heliotropin is a controled substance and using it would involve a lot of red tape. However, I note that Veratraldehyde has been called a "Heleotropin replacer." Food grade Veratraldehyde is available at http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/aldrich/w310905?lang=en&region=US. You need to be a corporation to buy from Sigma-Aldrich. If your restaurant is incorporated, you should have no trouble buying from them. They also have food grade heliotropin, http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/aldrich/w291102?lang=en&region=US.

Please, let me know about your progress.

this is good advice. i didnt realize how much wintergreen and vanilla was needed.
i will try some stuff and report back

Funny, I am just getting ready to order some essential oils (Young Living) for the purpose of making root beer. I love Virgil's so I was looking for some of their ingredients. While researching I came across your post. How did your Essential Oil Root beer turn out? Care to share the recipe?