Old Town Root Beer Company: Micro-Brewed from 1800′s Family Recipe

Root beer and summertime childhood memories are synonymous for me.  Memorial Day Weekend is here and summer has officially begun, so to celebrate summer properly with frosty mugs of root beer and root beer floats made with homemade ice cream, you can’t just drink any ol’ root beer.

Temecula has become like the new Napa Valley of California for wines, but I discovered another kind of hand crafted brew: Old Town Root Beer. It’s made from a secret root beer recipe dating back to the 1800’s found in a family Bible, but it wasn’t until 2002 that owner Cory Montgomery decided to share it with the world.

Old Town Root Beer Company has three varietals of root beer, sweetened with only cane sugar and/or honey: Original, D-N-A (vanilla flavor notes), and Route 66 (spicy version).

When asked why her husband’s family made root beer, Cory says, “Everyone was making their own root beer in their basement back in the day.”

It’s worth a trip to Temecula, about an hour and a half drive from LA, just to visit Old Town Rootbeer Company. One, it’s the only place you can buy the delicious micro-brewed root beer and two, Old Town Rootbeer Company carries over 500 different kinds of soda besides their own brand. You’ll see soda you remember as a kid along side imported and newly released soda varieties.

It really is a soda shrine, sure to satisfy any kind of fizz flavor craving. If you can’t make it to Temecula to stock up for all those summertime BBQ’s and family gatherings, they do ship their legendary root beer.

With one sip from a cold bottle of Old Town Root Beer, you’ll be glad Cory and John, her late husband, were kind enough to share the family’s secret root beer recipe.

Old Town Rootbeer Company, 28500 Old Town Front St. Temecula, CA 92590

For more fun things to do in Temecula, from golfing to wine touring to hot air ballooning, visit www.temeculacvb.com

Pina coladas are what I came for.  But the sommelier of San Juan had something else in mind.

Tucked away in a discreet corner of the Verdanza Hotel, the Di Vino looks like a typical, upscale hotel bar.

The difference is not the décor, but who is behind the bar. Meet Sommelier Dario Iovannone.

It was our first night in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the Verdanza Hotel. My girlfriend and I popped into Di Vino with intentions of celebrating our Puerto Rican adventures like true tourists with a pina colada toast.

Armed with charm like only the Italians can dole out, Dario introduces himself and asks what we would like to taste tonight.

I say, “Pina Colada muy fuerte!”

Without any hesitation (or condemnation), he replies with gusto, “Why would you have a pina colada when you could taste Italian passion in a glass?”

With that, visions of frothy drinks happily vanished. Before we knew it, we were doing a full-blown wine tasting. His enthusiasm for Italian, Chilean, Argentina and California wines made it near impossible to say no. And the Di Vino wine flight tasting menu is impressive. Your taste buds can stroll through sparkling wines, sweeter white wines like Riesling, and flights by region or country.

Dario was born in Positano, Italy, but has lived in San Juan for nine years. As a certified Italian sommelier, he’s carving out a niche with his newly opened Di Vino Wine & Tapas in the country of Medalla Light beer & rum drinkers.

Within minutes of meeting Dario, you’re a part of the family (who also happens to have excellent taste in wine).  Locals and visitors alike seem to lap up his hospitality and humor as much as the wine.  Every Thursday at 7 pm, Dario offers a new wine tasting experience focusing on a different region, winery, or varietal.

“There is not one other wine bar in San Juan like Di Vino and my customers know they can come here to see what’s new and find something different that they didn’t know they would like,” he explains.

Like the U.S., Puerto Rico’s thirst for wine has surged over the last decade, although they do not produce any wine.  Most mid to high end restaurants have a decent selection of South American, European and California wines.

Puerto Rico’s pina coladas are a mandatory right of passage but when you need a respite from rum, head to Di Vino Wine & Tapas bar in the Verdanza Hotel. I guarantee Dario will take care of you, confirming that you made the right decision to forgo the tropical drinks for a night of wine tastings, laughs and Italian hospitality.

Di Vino Wine & Tapas, Verdanza Hotel, 8020 Tartak street, Carolina, Puerto Rico

**In other Wanderlust & Lipstick beverage-travel news, check out WanderBoomer’s Shave Ice review, it’ll make you crave one of those rainbow colored delights.

Puerto Rican drinks are all things island: fruity, brightly-colored, sweet and scrumptious. When in Puerto Rico, here is your drinking guide for your Pinterest pinning pleasure:

Watermelon “Sand”gria at Hosteria del Mar Beach Inn. Chic/affordable stay on the beach.

Journalist Lindsay Taub ‘investigating’ Puerto Rico’s only beer, Medalla Light on Caja de Muertos.

Piragua: Puerto Rico sno cone, Old Town San Juan.

Sangria toast, San Juan.

Best sangria at San Juan’s El Jibarito, great local Puerto Rican cuisine too.

Pork and Pina Coladas, a winning combo on ‘La Ruta de Lechon’ aka Pig Highway, Guavate, Puerto Rico.

Best of ‘Show-y’ Pina Colada on Pig Highway, Guavate

Mojito, made with Puerto Rican rum no doubt.

Eighty20 Bistro bartender makes Rum Punch power 10, Verdanza Hotel, San Juan

For more Puerto Rican pleasures, visit www.seepuertorico.com

In other beverage-travel news, check out Hammocks in Paradise Cocktail Desserts.

And get the scoop on the who really invented the Pina Colada in Puerto Rico.

Photos by the author.