# How can you describe the "Bubblegum" flavor without saying "bubblegum"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 4, 2005, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723 "2005-10-04T12:19:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/41 "2016-05-02T12:14:41Z")

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> [@Darryl\_Lict](#):
>
> I always thought it tasted like sarsaparilla, which I’ve only had a couple of times. It’s apparently made originally from the smilax regelii plant. I’m going with sarsaparilla, even though I have no idea what brand.

I’ve used real _Smilax_ sarsaparilla root, which is pretty hard to find. The good stuff, anyway, is scarce. Its flavor and aroma are most similar to vanilla. Root beer is called sarsaparilla in some countries, and the mockups of “sarsaparilla” concocted here are just versions of root beer. The most characteristic flavor of root beer is that methyl salicylate again, primitively derived from birch bark and wintergreen. Combined with sassafras flavor, and vanilla flavor to stand in for the sarsaparilla, there’s your root beer.

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**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/42 "2016-05-02T16:27:32Z")

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I’ve had some wheat beers (Brooklyn specifically comes to mind) that had a bubble gum flavor.

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**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/43 "2016-05-02T18:55:25Z")

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For what it’s worth, I’ve always thought that both Red Bull and Southern Comfort tasted exactly bubbly-gummy. Vile stuff, both of them.

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-describe-the-bubblegum-flavor-without-saying-bubblegum/324723/44 "2016-05-02T19:47:19Z")

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> [@P-man](#):
>
> I’ve had some wheat beers (Brooklyn specifically comes to mind) that had a bubble gum flavor.

That would come from the esters/phenols the yeast strains used in many style of wheat beers throw off. Banana and clove flavors are pretty common in wheat beers – those are from amyl acetate and 4-vinyl guaiacol respectively. I find German-style hefes to be more on the banana-y side, and the Belgian being more on the clove side. Some people perceive these flavors as bubblegum, too (which makes sense, as it seems banana+citrus/orange is what many people in this thread are ascribing to the bubblegum flavor. I tried the bubblegum cocktail mentioned upthread and was surprised at how close to bubblegum it tasted to me. Those two flavors seem to be the key.)

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