Judging by the size of the bottles in the photo, I would think my cousin and I were swigging Tizer, not D & B.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandelion_and_burdock
Dandelion and Burdock is a traditional British fermented beverage. I'm told that as late as the 60s it was still being hawked by horse and cart, in stone flagons, in some parts of the UK.
That was probably the real deal.
But the dark brown, carbonated stuff we used to knock back was commercially produced and probably contained no natural dandelion or burdock root.
It's an odd flavour to describe - tannin, cola, citrus, dry, catches the back of the throat; a hint of "Liqufruta" cough medicine or that resinous quality you find in some Merlots. But I've only ever tasted the commercial stuff.
It has enjoyed something of a revival in the UK over the past few years.
Wikipedia says
"Dandelion and burdock shares a historical origin with a number of drinks originally made from lightly fermented root extracts, such as root beer and sarsaparilla."
I have no idea what sarsaparilla tastes like.
Re: Donation buttons
Whilst I respect the decisions of others to add Donation Buttons, my site Disclaimers carry the following:
"This site has no affiliations with any commercial or not-for-profit organisation. The site operates independently of any patient or advocacy organisation or group. This site does not accept advertising, sponsorship, funding or donations and has no commercial links with any organisation, institution, corporation, company or individual."
The sites cost me nothing to run and it isn't something I would consider.
Suzy