Rooted Revival
Rum, Grapefruit, Lime, Sarsaparilla Tea Syrup, Amaro, Bitters, Vanilla Bean Foam, Cinnamon, Mint
Bartender Lawson Ballinger of Four Walls at The Joseph | Nashville, TN
Adapted by StarChefs | July 2026 | Photo: Alexander Zeren
INGREDIENTS
Sarsaparilla Tea Syrup:
9 tablespoons dried sarsaparilla root
3 tablespoons dried wintergreen
3 tablespoons dried licorice root
3 tablespoons star anise
2 sticks cinnamon
1 vanilla bean, split
4 cups brown sugar
Batch:
Yield: 5 cocktails
5 ounces Ron Zacapa rum
5 ounces Hamilton 86 demerara rum
2½ ounce grapefruit juice
2½ ounce lime juice
1¼ ounce St. Agrestis amaro
20 dashes Angostura bitters
Whole milk
Vanilla Bean Foam:
6 ounces heavy cream
4 ounces vanilla bean syrup
3 egg whites
½ gram finely crushed Maldon salt
To Assemble and Serve:
Yield: 1 cocktail
Grated cinnamon
Fresh mint
METHOD
For the Sarsaparilla Tea Syrup:
In a pot over medium heat, bring sarsaparilla, wintergreen, licorice, star anise, cinnamon, vanilla, and 4 cups water to a boil. Remove from heat and let steep 20 minutes. Strain and stir in brown sugar. Stir until sugar is fully dissolved. Bottle and reserve.
For the Batch:
In a nonreactive container, combine rums, grapefruit juice, lime juice, amaro, bitters, and 1 ounce Sarsaparilla Tea Syrup. Weigh. In a separate nonreactive container, add 125-percent milk by weight of rum mixture. Add rum mixture and stir to combine. Let sit 30 minutes at room temperature. Pass through a coffee filter until liquid runs clear. Weigh and dilute mixture with 20-percent water by weight of mixture. Transfer to a nonreactive container. Seal and freeze. Once chilled, pour into a bottle with a carbonation rig. Carbonate to desired PSI. Refrigerate.
For the Vanilla Bean Foam:
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Transfer to a siphon canister with 2 charges. Refrigerate.
To Assemble and Serve:
Pour Batch into Collins glass with 1 ice spear, leaving 1-inch headspace. Top with Vanilla Bean Foam. Dust with cinnamon. Garnish with mint.
