Dorothy's Isle of Pines Root Beer

What better way to start this blog than with the doyenne of Root Beer herself, Dorothy Molter?  Dorothy was a bad-ass nurse who lived by herself in the Boundary Waters for many years, who became known for her homemade root beer.  We discovered her museum on a recent trip to Ely, MN, which consists of her cabin (moved to the city after her death) and gift shop.  Yes, I bought the T-shirt.

Onto the root beer.  I wish I could have tried her homemade version, but all that's available these days is the mass-produced bottles.  Which are pretty good.  There is a nice blend of flavors, with an initial vanilla taste followed by the deeper licorice "root beer" taste.  No one ingredient really stands out, just a good, basic root beer, nice with dinner.  Not flat, but not super-carbonated, with a lighter mouth feel.  Sadly contains high fructose corn syrup.

Ingredients: Carbonated water, high fructose corn sweetener, natural and artificial flavor, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preservative), citric acid, acacia and quillaia extract

Order your own, and learn more about bad-ass Dorothy Molter here.  Better yet, plan a trip up to the Boundary Waters, visit the International Wolf Center, and have a root beer float made with Dorothy Molter root beer at the Chocolate Moose.  You'll thank me later.