Who remembers ice cream floats?

pookie-poo · Jan 4, 2008

I can't believe nobody mentioned Vernor's Ginger Ale and vanilla ice cream floats! Oh yummmmmm......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernors

A Boston cooler is an ice cream soda drink made from Vernors and vanilla ice cream, named not after Boston, where Vernors is practically unknown, but after Detroit's Boston Boulevard, where it was supposedly invented.

gailc · Jan 4, 2008

I'm going to have to try a cream soda and chocolate ice cream float!!
We have lots of DQ's around here and A&W's seem to be making a comeback too.

momofmany · Jan 4, 2008

There was a small ice cream shop on the far southwest side of Chicago called the Purple Cow. They made all flavors of floats but their specialty was with grape soda (thus the purple).

I still make them and they are always with root beer.

carolpetunia · Jan 4, 2008

Fort Sill, Oklahoma, circa 1964: a couple of times a week after supper, my father would walk my little brother (2) and me (8) up to the Redbud Store to buy root beer, ice cream, and marshmallow fluff to make floats! (The fluff was strictly for Papa... I couldn't stand the stuff.) It felt so daring to be out at twilight!

Ahhh. Thanks for the memories!

brandi · Jan 4, 2008

Originally Posted by Persi & Alley

They had only two ingredients; usually vanilla ice cream and coke, but sometimes root beer or such. This was such a simple thing, yet where can they be found today? Certainly not in the big city. Maybe in a quaint little town in the sticks with a soda fountain. Anyway, the other night my wife, who is from Iran, and has never heard of or seen a float in her life, decided to put some vanilla ice cream in her coke. I asked her where she learned to do that; that I had not seen such a thing in years. She says she just thought about doing it. I told her how incredibly popular this was fifty years ago and immediately made myself one. Dang! These things sure were good! We have had one every night now for the last four nights.

And to top things off, Persi cleans the ice cream off the inside of the glasses as best he can get his head in.

Now we have three addicts.

Hey I Live in that qauint little town in the sticks

We still sell floats at most places here!!!

natalie_ca · Jan 4, 2008

I've never liked "floats". Back before A&W Root Beer was sold in the stores you could only buy it at A&W by the huge jug. So every week or two my Mom would take us to A&W and buy a hugs jug of root beer and always made us root beer floats. *blech*

I prefer ice cream separate from my beverage

littleraven7726 · Jan 4, 2008

There's a local drive in here with THE BEST floats.

When they are closed for the winter, A&W is a good substitute.

mom of 4 · Jan 4, 2008

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

Fort Sill, Oklahoma, circa 1964: a couple of times a week after supper, my father would walk my little brother (2) and me (8) up to the Redbud Store to buy root beer, ice cream, and marshmallow fluff to make floats! (The fluff was strictly for Papa... I couldn't stand the stuff.) It felt so daring to be out at twilight!

Ahhh. Thanks for the memories!

There used to be an 89er Ice Cream Parlor, with little round tables and red & white chairs in the shopping center at Cache Road and 38th street. My grandparents took us there everytime we stayed with them. Floats in real glasses, not plastic/paper cups. Metal spoons, not plastic.

eburgess · Jan 4, 2008

Did I miss something? Did floats leave? Wendy's and I think Burger King and other chain restaurants have them every summer.

calico2222 · Jan 4, 2008

Originally Posted by lookingglass

My favorite is orange soda and vanilla ice cream.

That's summer to me.

Ohhh...I have to try that. Sounds like it would taste just like a dreamsicle and I love them!!

Why is everyone trying to buy floats from restaurants? There is no secret ingredient...just make it at home. It's soda of choice and ice cream of choice and combind them. My personal favorite is diet coke with vanilla and chocolate fudge ice cream. The diet coke subtracts calories from the ice cream and the fudge so it's ok.

glitch · Jan 4, 2008

I was in a little town called Webster today and they have an A&W, I went in and bought a gallon of root beer to make floats for me and the kids! LOL

jellybella · Jan 5, 2008

Originally Posted by calico2222

Why is everyone trying to buy floats from restaurants? There is no secret ingredient...just make it at home. It's soda of choice and ice cream of choice and combind them. My personal favorite is diet coke with vanilla and chocolate fudge ice cream. The diet coke subtracts calories from the ice cream and the fudge so it's ok.

we make them all the time with diet root beer (DH is diabetic) and a really good vanilla...also love it with orange soda or cream soda

tierre0 · Jan 5, 2008

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

I love ice cream floats!! Root beer is the best

I couldn't agree more I like root beer with chocolate ice cream. I also have tried cream soda with vanilla which is yummy also.

kittycoo · Jan 5, 2008

Here in Australia we call them "Spiders" and we can still order them in restaurants.
I love the Blue Heaven Spiders mmmmmmmm.
Coke and icecream comes a close second.

Now I feel like having one........................

KittyCoo xx

trouts mom · Jan 5, 2008

I have never been a huge fan of ice cream floats..I am not a fan of ice cream to begin with so I guess thats why

They seem messy to eat too

If I were to have one though, it would be root beer and vanilla ice cream

denice · Jan 6, 2008

I love floats, of course I like just about anything with ice cream. When I was a kid I remember chocolate ice cream sodas. I've seen the how to's for making one but I haven't tried it. I haven't seen them in ages, I think they disappeared with the old fountain counters at the drugstores.

bonnie1965 · Jan 6, 2008

Yep, the mentioned restaurants have them, plus Jack in the Box during the summer. Here in the PNW, DQs and A&Ws are found in smaller towns, especially the coast. I love floats ... reminds me of summer.

kaete · Jan 6, 2008

I love these! We usually make them with root beer. Stewarts, a little convenience store/ice cream place around here, makes the best ones ever!

pookie-poo · Jan 6, 2008

I love it when the ice cream is so cold that the soda freezes to the ice cream in little slivers. That crunchy frozen soda on the ice cream is my favorite part!

Who remembers ice cream floats?

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