QUEEN OF CUPS

Root Beer Float Elixir

If you’re a naturally emotional person, this energy is heaven, If you are not, get ready for a wild ride! Once you sink in, let go and give in to the movement. Old feelings revisit with no explanation, new ones inhabit your body to give you a taste of the future. You are being cleansed and saturated in the language of your heart. Get fluent.

Sarsaparilla and sassafras team up to keep your protected, while clove, cinnamon, and ginger conspire to make you the most confident, mood-lifting magician the world has ever known. Use liberally and irresponsibly.

In typical fashion, the syrup used for this root beer float gets its flavor from sassafras and sarsaparilla, bit it’s the addition of ginger and a few other secret ingredients that takes it above and beyond any root beer you’ve ever tasted. In addition to making into a float, as here, you can just add sparking water to make a soda. You could also use it to flavor up a fancy cocktail.

INGREDIENTS

Zest  1 orange

2-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced

2 Tablespoons sassafras bark

1 Tablespoon sarsaparilla root

5 whole cloves

1 whole star anise

1 cinnamon stick

2 cups granulated sugar

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 liter sparking water or club soda

Buttermilk or vanilla ice cream, store-bought or homemade

1. In a medium, pot, combine 2 cups water, the orange peel, ginger, sassafras, sarsaparilla, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, remove from heat, cover and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour or up to overnight.

2. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve (discard the solids) return the liquid to the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt to stir until the sugar has dissolved completely. About 1 minute. Store in airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.

3. For each float, add ¼ cup of the syrup and ½ cup of sparkling water to a frosted glass. Stir to combine and add 1 or 2 scoops of ice cream.