Sarsaparilla (Smilax ornata) is a tropical plant in the Smilacaceae family native to South America, Jamaica, the Caribbean, Mexico, Honduras, and the West Indies. Its name has become synonymous with a type of soft drink originally made from sarsaparilla root.

Sarsaparilla. Its name conjures images of old timey cowboys sitting in saloons, tossing back pints of beer, yes, but also sarsaparilla, a root beer-esque soft drink made from the root of the Smilax ornata. Truth be told, that's an accurate image: food writer Ruth Tobias has similarly noted that sarsaparilla evokes ideas of "languid belles and parched cowboys." She's right.

In the early days of soft drinks in the 19th century, manufacturers often used health claims to promote their products. Because of this, sarsaparilla, a known immunity booster, was used as a flavoring agent in root beer, often in conjunction with sassafras. Today, while old-fashioned root beers still use the plant, the extract is much less used, replaced with artificial flavorings and a whole lot of sugar.

But sarsaparilla, the plant, has its own history and set of usages aside from sarsaparilla, the drink.

In Spanish, sarsaparilla is known as zarzaparrilla, which is derived from the words zarza meaning bramble, parra meaning vine, and illa meaning small. The plant grows deep in the canopy of the rainforest, its trailing vines and prickly stems feeling at home amidst the lush greenery.

Like many plants of days yore, sarsaparilla was often prized for its medicinal properties, though these were not always accurate. From the 15th to 19th centuries, the most popular use of the plant was for the treatment of syphilis. By the 18th century, its effectiveness as a treatment for venereal diseases was largely debunked, but it took some time for it to become completely retired. However, the botanical continued to be used to treat arthritis, increase libido, and boost the immune system.

Much like root beer, sarsaparilla has a sweet taste akin to vanilla, lending subtle smokey notes to AMASS Dry Gin.