Root beer is a sweet North American soft drink traditionally made using the root bark of the sassafras tree Sassafras albidum or the vine of Smilax ornata as the primary flavor. Root beer is typically, but not exclusively, non-alcoholic, caffeine-free, sweet, and carbonated. Like cola, it usually has a thick and foamy head. A common use is to add vanilla ice cream to make a root beer float.
Freshly poured root beer in a glass mug
A Hires' root beer advertisement from 1894
A soft drink is any water-based flavored drink, usually but not necessarily carbonated, and typically including added sweetener. Flavors used can be natural or artificial. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a sugar substitute, or some combination of these. Soft drinks may also contain caffeine, colorings, preservatives and other ingredients.
A glass of cola served with ice cubes
Soft drink vending machine in Japan
Bubbles of carbon dioxide float to the surface of a carbonated soft drink.
Equipment used by Joseph Priestley in his experiments on gases and the carbonation of water