Jittery Rootbeer Espressoda: The Drink You Never Knew You Needed

What happens when a childhood classic collides with your morning caffeine fix? You get the Jittery Rootbeer Espressoda — a bubbly, bold, deeply aromatic drink that tastes like a soda fountain and a specialty coffee shop had a very good idea together.

This isn't your average float. There's no ice cream, no store-bought syrup, and no shortcuts. We're making a homemade root beer syrup from scratch using real sassafras root, burdock, star anise, and a hint of wintergreen — then layering it with a fresh shot of espresso and sparkling club soda. The result is something genuinely surprising: earthy, sweet, fizzy, and caffeinated all at once.

Why Make Your Own Root Beer Syrup?

Store-bought root beer is fine. Homemade root beer syrup is a revelation. When you simmer sassafras root with warm spices like coriander, clove, and star anise, and then finish it with vanilla bean paste and wintergreen, you end up with a syrup that's complex, fragrant, and completely your own. You control the sweetness, the depth, and the intensity — which means you can dial it up or down depending on whether you're making a subtle sipper or a full-on dessert drink.

And honestly? The process smells incredible.

What You'll Need

For the Root Beer Syrup

• 1½ cups water
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons sassafras roots
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 2 star anise
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp clove
• 1 tsp burdock root
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 2 drops wintergreen extract

For the Espressoda

• 2–4 oz homemade root beer syrup (adjust to taste)
• 2 oz espresso (freshly pulled)
• 5 oz club soda
• Ice

How to Make It

Step 1: Build the Syrup

Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves. Once dissolved, add the sassafras roots, molasses, star anise, coriander seeds, cloves, burdock root, and vanilla bean paste. Bring to a gentle simmer and let everything mingle for 5–10 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool completely before adding the wintergreen extract. This step is important — alcohol-based extracts like wintergreen (and some vanilla extracts) will lose their flavor if added to hot liquid, so patience pays off here.

Once cooled, strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a clean jar or bottle. Your syrup is ready to use.

Step 2: Build the Drink

Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour in 2–4 oz of your root beer syrup — start on the lower end if you prefer less sweetness and work your way up. Add the club soda and give it a gentle stir to combine. Finally, pull a fresh shot of espresso and pour it right over the top.

Watch the espresso cascade down through the bubbles. It's a good moment.

Tips for the Best Results

Start with 2 oz of syrup. Root beer syrup is potent. Taste as you go and add more if you want it sweeter or more root-beer-forward.

Always add alcohol-based extracts after cooling. Wintergreen is the star of the finish here — don't cook it off. The same goes for any vanilla extract that contains alcohol.

Fresh espresso makes a difference. The contrast between a hot, freshly pulled shot and an icy fizzy drink is part of what makes this so fun. If you only have cold brew, it'll still work, but you'll lose a bit of that dramatic layering effect.

Store your syrup in the fridge. It keeps well for up to two weeks, so you can make a big batch and build drinks all week long.

The Flavor Experience

The first sip is sparkling and sweet, with that familiar root beer nostalgia hitting immediately. Then the espresso kicks in — slightly bitter, roasty, grounding — and the two flavors find this unexpected harmony. The spices from the syrup (the anise, the clove, the coriander) give it a warmth that makes it taste almost like something you'd order at a very cool apothecary-themed bar.

It's a drink that's worth making for yourself on a slow weekend morning, and equally worth showing off to guests.

Watch It Come Together