It's not difficult to get your hands on real sassafras and sarsaparilla. If you're in the right part of the country, the stuff literally grows on trees. If not,

It's not difficult to get your hands on real sassafras and sarsaparilla. If you're in the right part of the country, the stuff literally grows on trees. If not, it's still definitely possible to find in local herb and spice stores (I've found it at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco). There's no shortage of online recipes to make your own root beer.