Crossword Genius

Drink a sick soldier swallows after a virus (12)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sarsaparilla

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'drink' is the definition.
(sarsaparilla is a kind of drink)

'a sick soldier swallows after a virus' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'a' is found in the answer.
'sick' could be 'ill' (synonyms) and 'ill' is found in the answer.
'soldier' could be 'para' (short for paratrooper) and 'para' is found within the remaining letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for sarsaparilla that I've seen before include "Nonalcoholic root drink" , "Drink prepared from roots" , "Source of drink" , "medical preparation" , "Soft drink flavoured with an aromatic root - alas I rap Lars (anag)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times and The Sunday Times.
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