DIY Soda, Root Beer and Pop

You experiment with gadgets and gizmos, so why not create your own soft drinks and root beer? Not only are home brews usually healthier and cheaper than anything you'll find in stores, a DIY soft drink offers the opportunity to create something completely different -- at least by today's corn syrupy standards.

Stephen Cresswell is a history professor and avid homebrewer of beer and soft drinks. His 128 page guide, Homemade Root Beer, Soda & Pop offers dozens of easy to follow recipes that will unlock the secrets of old-fashioned root beer, cream soda, ginger beer, sarsaparilla soda and dozens of other almost-forgotten drinks.

He starts by tracing the history of root beers in American history, before walking you through the equipment you'll need to produce batches of your favorites. The first recipes in the book are classics -- root beer and ginger ale. These are followed by some more modern concoctions. There's even an entire chapter dedicated to devising your own unique beverages.

Homemade Root Beer, Soda & Pop is only $10 at Amazon