How the Sioux City Sarsaparilla came to be

The Sioux City Sarsaparilla, Sioux City Root Beer and Sioux City Cream Soda are easily recognizable western-themed 12-ounce amber bottles. They can be found throughout town at grocery stores, novelty stores and the popular Palmer's Olde Tyme Candy Shoppe.

But how did they get their name and where did they come from?

Sioux City Sarsaparilla was created by White Rock Beverages. The company was founded in 1871 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, but is now located in New York. It is a fifth-generation family business started by current President Larry Bodkin's great-grandfather.

Most of the items sold under the White Rock name are mixers like club soda, tonic water, seltzers, ginger beer and ginger ale, Bodkin said.

During the 1980s and '90s, craft soda was beginning to rise in popularity and Bodkin's uncle wanted to create a western-themed craft soda.

Two ideas were on the drawing board: a Sioux City Sarsaparilla or a St. Louis Sarsaparilla.

"Those are the two ideas that he kicked around and he ended up going with Sioux City because he thought it had more of an authentic Western vibe to it," he said. "Which is kind of funny because I've been to Sioux City and know it's really kind of a modern city."

Bodkin said in people's imagination, Sioux City is associated more with the Wild West than St. Louis. The embossed bottles were officially developed in 1987 and were one of the first niche soft drink brands in the country, according to White Rock.

White Rock is not the only entity to associate the Wild West and Sioux City. “Sioux City Sue” is a 1940s country western song by Dick Thomas and Ray Freedman. A year after the song came out, a western film of the name was released starring Hollywood legend Gene Autry.

In Spain, there is an American Wild West-themed attraction called Sioux City Park. Sioux City Park started as a film set in 1971 but has become one of Europe's most unique tourist attractions. It has a bank, blacksmith, cemetery, church, saloon, and sheriff’s office and hosts Western shows as well as nightly barbecues.

Bodkin said the alliteration of Sioux City Sarsaparilla rolls off the tongue, helping with the name recognition.

There are seven different flavors in the Sioux City beverage line - sarsaparilla, cream soda, root beer, birch beer, prickly pear, orange cream and ginger beer.

Each bottle features different Western-style imagery. The sarsaparilla has a cowboy leaving a saloon, the cream soda has a cowboy riding a horse and the root beer has a cowboy raising a toast.

"We put a lot of care into our formulations, sourcing only the best flavors available and using only pure cane sugar to enhance those flavors," according to White Rock.

Bodkin said the sarsaparilla is like a combination of root beer and cream soda.

"It has more creaminess to it and most root beers have an ingredient called anise in it, which is like a licorice-type ingredient, and we don't have that," he said. "So the sarsaparilla is kind of unique."

Other flavors have come and gone over the years, but the sarsaparilla remains a fan favorite. The craft soda has been voted the No. 1 root beer in America by the Root Beer Report multiple times. Bodkin said it regularly wins or is placed high on root beer ranking lists.

"Sioux City Sarsaparilla is characterized by its smooth and rich texture, enhancing the overall drinking experience. The taste is marked by a well-balanced blend of sweetness and herbal notes, resulting in a harmonious and enjoyable flavor profile,” according to the Root Beer Club.

"In terms of flavor, Sioux City Sarsaparilla embraces the classic essence of sarsaparilla. It features prominent notes of sassafras, root extracts, and other botanicals, providing a distinct and nostalgic taste reminiscent of traditional sarsaparilla recipes."