Root Beer Float
Ingredients
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- 1 cup vanilla ice cream
- 12 ounces root beer – well chilled
Instructions
1. Chill a tall glass in the freezer until frosty, about 10 minutes.
2. Add 1 cup vanilla ice cream to the glass.
3. Tilt the glass and slowly pour 12 ounces well-chilled root beer along the inside, letting the foam rise; pause to let it settle, then continue pouring until the glass is full and a creamy head forms.
4. Serve immediately with a straw and spoon.
A Root Beer Float pairs scoops of vanilla ice cream with bubbly root beer for a creamy, foamy treat that is cold, sweet, and lightly spiced. The ice cream softens into the soda, creating swirls of vanilla cream while a fizzy head forms on top. It’s refreshing, playful, and indulgent—part dessert, part drink, and entirely nostalgic.
Root Beer Floats are a classic American soda fountain creation, emerging from the broader tradition of ice cream sodas popularized in the late 19th century. The ice cream soda is often traced to 1874 in Philadelphia, while the root beer variant—sometimes called a “black cow”—is commonly credited to Frank J. Wisner in Colorado in the 1890s. Over time, the float became a mainstay of diners, drive-ins, and summer gatherings across the United States.