Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Good Food

    Good Food

    Using spices to make root beer at home

    Root beer dates back to colonial times, where roots of plants made a low-alcohol beverage. Peter Bahlawanian of Spice Station describes what is needed for a traditional root beer, including sassafras, sarsaparilla, cherry bark, and licorice bark.

    • rss
    • apple-podcasts
    • spotify
    • Share
    By Evan Kleiman • Jun 11, 2021 • 7m Listen

    Root beer dates back to colonial times, where roots of plants made a low-alcohol beverage. Peter Bahlawanian of Spice Station describes what is needed for a traditional root beer, including sassafras, sarsaparilla, cherry bark, and licorice bark. Optional vanilla, burdock root, birch bark, molasses, honey, star anise, ginger, and cinnamon are alternatives in making your own version at home.

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Evan Kleiman

      host 'Good Food'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Laryl Garcia

      Senior Director, Good Food

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Gillian Ferguson

      Supervising Producer, Good Food

      CultureFood & DrinkCaliforniaLos Angeles
    Back to Good Food