Photo: Courtesy of Edible Boston
Ilene Bezahler, Guest Contributor
Edible Boston
Food memories, especially those from childhood, are so important to us all. Yet trying to recreate them later in life is sometimes very difficult. Thanks to Domenick Cusolito’s family, memories of Tower Root Beer in Somerville can be relived. With determination and luck, the originally recipe was found and Tower Root Beer revived. Genevieve Rajewski gives an account of their family’s story in the summer edition of Edible Boston. (You can also follow Genevieve through her blog Wicked Tasty Harvest).
Come try an icy cold Tower Root Beer at the Wayland Farmers’ Market – Wednesdays noon to 4 PM – 397 Boston Post Road (Route 20).
As someone born (“and breaded”, as I like to say) in the deep south I grew up making root beer at home with Zatarain’s Root Beer Extract. Since moving to Boston over 20 years ago it’s one of the New Orleans products that I missed the most. But it turns out that it’s still available today, and my late wife sent me a half dozen bottles a couple of years ago. I still have a bottle and a half left but when it runs out I can easily order it online at http://www.zatarains.com/Products/Spices-and-Extracts/Root%20Beer%20Extract.aspx
I definitely recommend it to my friends in Boston because it’s easy to make, tastes great, and can even use sugar substitute if you have found a spoonable fake sugar you like. Zatarain’s also has some nice recipes on their site that use the extract, including root beer ice pops, just the thing for a summer day in New England where we have a heat advisory before even 7:30 in the morning.
Thanks to you both for these recs! Guess we can all ‘brew’ our own root beer at home, then!