This week, the magazine noted the mysterious appearance of sassafras where you might not expect it — on the menus of Momofuku Ssäm Bar and Park Slope’s Beer Table, and even whipped into some fro-yo at Soho’s new Yoguruto shop. And Sam Mason’s forthcoming soda fountain of sorts will surely be a root-beer-drinker-friendly environment. Still, nothing could prepare us for a recent visit to Drew Nieporent and Paul Liebrandt’s elegant Corton, where we opened up the wines-by-the-glass menu only to find the sudsy stuff listed as an ingredient in a cocktail called Autumn (Jack Daniels, tamarind, spices, and root beer). When asked, the waitress giggled, confirmed it was not a joke, and told us that, to the best of her knowledge, it was of the canned variety known to sarsaparilla connoisseurs as Mug. It seems as though there’s no stopping this root-beer juggernaut.
