Homemade Root Beer

It is my husbands family tradition to make homemade root beer every year for the fourth of july bbq.  We have made it a few times this summer as well.  It is so much better than the store bought stuff!

5 pounds sugar or 1-4 pound bag sugar +2 cups (since you can't find the 5 pound bags of sugar any more, use )
5-7 pounds dry ice (only found at Fred Meyer in our area)
1 bottle McCormick root beer extract (found at Albertsons)
5 gallons water after everything else is added

Mix all ingredients in a 5 gallon drink cooler, break up dry ice a little by dropping it on the sidewalk.  Make sure you do not touch the dry ice with your bare hands or it will burn you.  Place cooler outside, it will bubble over and get whatever you place it on sticky.  Put all dry ice in and let it bubble and get cool, usually about an hour.