Root beer is often viewed as a quintessentially American drink; it was invented here in the 1800s and popularized toward the end of that century.
But as José R. Ralat discovered, root beer has also become a popular drink in Sonora, Mexico, starting in the early part of the 20th century. It’s so popular, in fact, that one proprietor described it as not a luxury but rather a necessity.
Ralat is Texas Monthly’s taco editor and author of the book "American Tacos: A History and Guide." He joined The Show to talk about what you might wash your taco down with.
Full conversation
MARK BRODIE: José, how did you find out about this robust history of root beer in Sonora?
JOSÉ RALAT: I went there. It was not, I didn’t expect it, man. I was there for the flour tortillas, for the hot dogs, for the carne asada. I was not there for root beer. It wasn’t until a friend and I were driving around that we started noticing all of these root beer stands, and finally we just said, “Let’s do it.”
BRODIE: So, what was it like the first time you tasted one? Like, did, did it taste like the root beer that you were used to drinking in the states?
RALAT: Yes, it was a little sweeter, but it was also refreshing, which is the most important quality of root beer. What I was reminded of was how much I love root beer and how much I should drink more of it.
BRODIE: So I guess the sales people are doing their jobs then.
RALAT: Yeah.
BRODIE: So how did it come to be that root beer was such a big business in Sonora?
RALAT: So there was a gentleman by the name of Gil, G-I-L, who had been working at a soda factory in Los Angeles, and he went home. His great grandson, José Gil, says that they don’t remember the name of the soda factory that he worked at when he was in Los Angeles, but he does know that the family began selling root beer long before 1907. It was just incorporated in 1907, so that’s the official date.
BRODIE: This goes back a long way then.
RALAT: Yes, almost as old as root beer in the U.S.
BRODIE: So I want to quote one of the people with whom you spoke in Hermosillo, this person who runs or co-founded one of the root beer places, she says, “In Hermosillo carbonated root beer is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. When you order a soda in Hermosillo, you’re asking for a root beer.” That seems pretty significant, like that is THE drink, it sounds like, for at least for carbonated drinks, for soda drinks, that root beer is it.
RALAT: Yeah, and for me that really speaks about the lack of air conditioning within the city. But also, we like to think about Mexican Coke as the default soda across the country, but it’s not, and that really speaks to not only the diversity of the country, but the country’s tastes and the cuisine. And it also speaks to the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico, specifically with the border states and how there really isn’t a border, but there is a need for root beer.
I’ve talked to people who have anecdotally said, it’s about the heat, it’s about workers needing refreshment during the day. It’s so intertwined with the culture that is if you have a hot dog, you should have a root beer.
BRODIE: Huh. What is it about root beer though? Because you could have any other kind of soda. You could have an iced tea. You could have lemonade. You could have water. You could have any number of alcoholic drinks to cool off when it’s hot. What is it about root beer that has made it so popular there?
RALAT: Again, the lack of air conditioning, and what Gil found out was that the typical bitterness of root beer was too much for the Sonoran palate and needed to be sweetened. So I think that with all the savory foods they have there — particularly the hot dogs, like I said — you need that balance and do you need that refreshment that syrupy Coke does not offer.
BRODIE: Huh. OK, so you’ve mentioned the Sonoran hot dog. Of course, folks in Sonora sort of put their spin on the hot dog. Have folks in Hermosillo and other parts of Sonora put their own sort of spin on root beer? Like, is there, are there different kinds of it that you can get there that maybe you can’t get in the U.S.?
RALAT: Yes. You can mix it with chocolate. You can mix it with any sort of syrupy flavor. And chocolate root beer? Pretty darn good.
BRODIE: Really? Yeah, that’s interesting cause, like just hearing you say it, I trust you, but it’s like the words chocolate root beer do not sound like a combination that would necessarily be delicious.
RALAT: You know, it’s strange at first, because you can’t tell if it’s chocolate or if it’s some other spice. But then you take a second sip, and then you take a third sip, and then you realize, “Why wasn’t this in my life before?”
BRODIE: So what other, what other flavors did your palate like when you were down there?
RALAT: So there was a grape one. There was this ferrisodata — I think I pronounced that correctly — which is a mixture of coffee, chocolate and vanilla that is mixed with root beer, or you could drink it by itself. I did not want to drink that by itself.
BRODIE: Did any of the the sellers in Sonora that you spoke with talk about trying to sell these kinds of root beers north of the border? Or maybe they’re available now.
RALAT: So they’re not available now. Everyone wishes that they could go to Tucson or Phoenix, but the market’s just not there yet, and they don’t seem to have the money yet. Which is weird to me because Root Beer Gil, the oldest one, is wealthy and probably the biggest brand there.
BRODIE: So maybe someday Phoenicians will be able to drink chocolate root beer.
RALAT: That would be awesome, right?
