Sarsaparilla (UK: /ˌsɑːrspəˈrɪlə/, US also /ˌsæspəˈrɪlə/ sas-pə-RIL-ə)[1] is a soft

drink originally made from the vine Smilax ornata (also called 'sarsaparilla') or
other species of Smilax such as Smilax officinalis.[2] In most Southeast Asian
countries, it is known by the common name sarsi, and the trademarks Sarsi and
Sarsae. It is similar in flavour to root beer. In the US, sarsaparilla is
traditionally made with birch oil rather than the tropical plant.
Etymology

Smilax ornata, a perennial trailing vine with prickly stems that is native to
Mexico and Central America, is often used as the basis for the soft drink
sarsaparilla.[3] Common names include sarsaparilla,[4] Honduran sarsaparilla,[5]
and Jamaican sarsaparilla.[6]

It is known in Spanish as zarzaparrilla, which is derived from the words zarza

meaning "bramble" (from preroman sarza), and parrilla, meaning "little grape vine".
[7][8][9][10][11]

History

Sarsaparilla was popular in the United States in the 19th century. According to
advertisements for patent medicines of the period, it was considered to be a remedy
for skin and blood problems.[12] The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink
notes that it evokes images of "languid belles and parched cowboys".[13]

Sarsaparilla is sometimes considered to be a type of root beer. Dozens of brands of

sarsaparilla are made by microbreweries, mainly in the United States.[14]
Availability

Sarsaparilla is not readily available in most countries, although many pubs and
most major supermarket chains in the Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore and Australia
stock sarsaparilla-flavoured soft drinks, and sarsaparilla remains available in the
United Kingdom as a legacy of the temperance movement.[15] Australian sarsaparilla,
produced by major manufacturers such as Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, has a flavor
different from that of American root beer or sarsaparilla.[citation needed]

Sarsi is a sarsaparilla-based drink popular in Asia.[citation needed]

United Kingdom

Sarsaparilla is produced on a small scale in the United Kingdom. Baldwin's has

produced a sarsaparilla cordial continuously since 1844. It is produced in Walworth
Road, London, and it is readily available in pie and mash shops in the East End of
London, where it is popular, as well as being available in most Tesco supermarkets
in the world foods section. In the North of England sarsaparilla is produced by
Fitzpatrick's, Britain's last temperance bar, reflecting its former importance to
the temperance movement there. Maine Soft Drinks, based in Northern Ireland, also
produce the drink. American soldiers stationed in Northern Ireland during World War
Two are said to be responsible for the drink's popularity.
United States
Trade card, 1886

The classic sarsaparilla was not made from the extract of the sarsaparilla plant, a
tropical vine distantly related to the lily. It was originally made from a blend of
birch oil and sassafras, the dried root bark of the sassafras tree. In this
context, sassafras should not be confused with common sassafras seasoning, filé,
used in Cajun cooking and made from dried and ground sassafras leaves. Sassafras
was widely used as a home remedy in the 19th century; taken in sufficient doses it
induces sweating, which some people thought had health benefits. Sarsaparilla made
its debut as a patent medicine, an easy-to-take form of sassafras, much as Coca-
Cola was first marketed in 1885 as a remedy for hangovers, headaches and morphine
addiction.[16] Besides the effects of the ingredients, sodas were popular in the
United States at the time, due to the belief that carbonated water had health
benefits.[17] In 1960 the FDA banned the use of sassafras oil in foodstuffs after
evidence accumulated showing that the main constituent, safrole, was carcinogenic.
[18] Safrole is also found in filé, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, anise, black pepper,
and sweet basil, but in low enough concentration to be deemed safe.[19][20]
East Asia
Taiwan

HeySong Sarsaparilla (Chinese: 黑松沙士) is the most popular brand of sarsaparilla

drink in Taiwan. It is manufactured by HeySong Corporation.[21]

It is available in two varieties:

Regular — regular sarsaparilla flavor.

Salted — significantly saltier with a bitter aftertaste.

Southeast Asia
Cambodia

In Cambodia, sarsaparilla is one of the flavors sold under the Fanta brand, bottled
and distributed by Cambodia Beverage Company Ltd., a unit of the Coca-Cola SABCO
Group.[22]
Indonesia

There are two well known sarsaparilla brands in Indonesia, Badak (from North
Sumatra) and Indo Saparella (from the Special Region of Yogyakarta). Badak was
established by a Swiss national named Heinrich Surbeck in 1916 in Pematangsiantar,
North Sumatra and Indo Saparella was established in 1960 in Yogyakarta. There's
also Agung Ngoro a local soft drink brand who produces traditional sarsaparilla in
a glass bottle.[23] Both brands can be found in some local restaurants and stalls
or marketplace.
Thailand

Hi-Mark by Green Spot[citation needed] was the domestic sarsaparilla drink in

Thailand, but was discontinued in 2000. F&N Sarsi has been produced in Thailand by
Sermsuk Public Company Limited since 2018, reviving a brand last sold locally in
the 1990s.[24]
Vietnam

In Vietnam, sarsaparilla is one of the flavors (Xá Xị) sold under the Mirinda
brand, bottled and distributed by Suntory-PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage (formerly,
PepsiCo Vietnam).[25] There is also a sarsi flavored soda (Huong Xá Xị) by Coca-
Cola under the Fanta brand.[26] There are two local brands offering their own sarsi
drink:

Sá Xị Chương Dương by Chuong Duong Beverages.

Wonderfarm Zizy by Interfood Shareholding Company.

Sarsaparilla-flavored sodas are available in the south of Vietnam but much more
difficult to find in the north.
South Asia
India

Nannari, also known as "Indian sarsaparilla", is popular drink in South India and
usually served with club soda and lime juice.
Sarsi (brand)
A can of F&N Sarsi from Singapore
Philippines

In the Philippines, Sarsi is a brand name for a sarsaparilla drink originally

manufactured by Cosmos Bottling Corporation, a local company that is now a
subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc.[27] Cosmos Bottling Corporation
was established in 1918 as Manila Aerated Water Company.[28] Sarsi was originally
branded as Cosmos Sarsaparilla until the 1970s. The unique taste that distinguishes
the current version of Sarsi from other sarsaparilla-based soft drinks is
attributed to the sugar substitute saccharin, although its "regular" formula
contains high fructose corn syrup or cane sugar.
Singapore

In Singapore, F&N Sarsi (originally branded as Sarsi) is a brand name for a

sarsaparilla drink manufactured by the Singaporean company F&N Group (Fraser and
Neave). It is unrelated to the brand established in the Philippines.
Sarsae (brand)
Mainland China
A bottle of Asia Sarsae sold in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

In mainland China, the drink's introduction can be traced back to the 1920s, when
A. S. Watson began producing its sarsaparilla drink in Shanghai and other Chinese
cities. In the 1940s, Li Zhiyang (李智扬), Li Guanling (李冠玲), Huang Youtong (黄油
桶), Liang Hanqi (梁汉奇), and Wang Zhensan (王震山) were among eleven people who had
worked in Watson's Canton and founded Asian Waters in Guangzhou to continue
producing Sarsae there and in other mainland Chinese locations.[29]

Asia Sarsae (亚洲沙示) is now produced by Xiangxue Pharmaceutical.

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, Sarsae (沙示) is the most popular brand of sarsaparilla drink. It is
manufactured and distributed by the A. S. Watson Group, which pioneered in
carbonated beverages in Hong Kong.[30] The drink was the central plot device of a
1985 film called It's a Drink, It's a Bomb (starring George Lam, John Sham and
Maggie Cheung), about a hand grenade disguised as a Sarsae cola, detonated by
releasing its ringpull.[31]
See also

Drink portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sarsaparilla.

Birch beer
List of soft drink flavors

References

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้ สุดการรอคอย! "ซาสี่" มาแลว้ ขอทา้ ชิงแชร์ตลาดน้ำอั ดลมหมื่นลา้ นแลว้ !" (in Thai). Positioning. 9 August
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"It's a Drink, It's a Bomb (1985)". Retrieved 1 April 2017.

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This page was last edited on 29 May 2023, at 17:08