Drink This Now: Bourbon Root Beer Float

Our very own SpringHouse Restaurant continues to earn praise from guests and press alike. Garden & Gun magazine recently shared resident mixologist Will Abner’s Bourbon Root Beer Float recipe, which stars house-made root beer syrup made from locally sourced sassafras root and bourbon vanilla ice cream. With summer soon drawing to a close, we can’t think of a more delicious way to unwind!

Try Will’s recipe below – or stop by SpringHouse for a float made by the inventor himself!

Bourbon Root Beer Float (photo: Brennan Wesley)

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ oz. root beer syrup
• 2 oz. bourbon, preferably Buffalo Trace
• 8 oz. sparkling water
• 2 scoops bourbon vanilla ice cream

How to prepare: Combine syrup, bourbon, and sparkling water. Mix thoroughly and pour over ice cream.

Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups heavy cream
• 1 ½ cups half-and-half
• 2 ½ oz. brown sugar
• 2 oz. white sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 2 ½ oz. bourbon, preferably Buffalo Trace

How to prepare: Heat cream with half-and-half over medium-high heat until scalding. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together brown sugar, white sugar, and egg yolks. Slowly add the hot cream to the mixture, combine thoroughly, and then return to low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a spatula, until it coats the back of a spoon. Cool over an ice bath until thick, then add bourbon, and freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

Root Beer Syrup

Ingredients:

• 3 oz. sassafras root
• 1 clove
• 1 star anise
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• ¼ cup molasses
• 2 drops wintergreen extract
• 6 cups sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split but not scraped

How to prepare: Chop sassafras root into ½-inch pieces after removing bark and rinsing. Place sassafras, clove, star anise, and coriander into a heavy pot with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil; then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, and then add molasses and simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat, add wintergreen extract, and let rest for one hour. Then return to a simmer and add sugar and vanilla bean. Stir. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve. For best results, strain a second time through a coffee filter. Store in the refrigerator.