Root Liquor

Although Root Beer has always been one of my favorite sodas, I never thought much about the history behind it until this past weekend in Philadelphia. One of the shops I had on my list to check out was Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction which opened its new storefront after I moved on from Philly. ROOT, their newest product completely knocked my socks off (quite literally). Root Beer is the non-alcoholic version of a beverage dating back to the 1700s called Root Tea which was a high-alcohol libation introduced to our country’s early settlers by the Native Americans. The masterful mechanical minds behind Art in the Age are now distilling their original Root Tea for the cocktail-enthusiast set. While in the store I was treated to a little sample which I loved. The full-bodied and subtly sweet liquor, the robust bottle with excellent label and of course, the 80-proof alcohol level was enough to send me straight to the nearest liquor store to buy a bottle to bring home to Brooklyn.

(Suffice it to say that I never found the nearest liquor store because I was a bit too tipsy and have never been blessed with a good sense of direction.)

I’ll be sure to pick one up on my next trip to Philly or, if I can’t wait that long, ROOT can also be purchased here on the internet.