Root Beer Float Jello Recipe • Pint Sized Baker (2024)

FAQs

Do you put ice cream or root beer first in a float? ›

Scoop the vanilla ice cream into a mug or beer stein. Firmly press it down. Editor's Tip: There's a lot of debate around what goes in the mug first: the root beer or the ice cream. Well, in order to prevent overflowing and get the perfect creamy texture, add the ice cream and then pour over the fizzy root beer.

Spoon a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream into a tall glass. Slowly pour root beer into the glass, allowing the foam to rise and then recede before adding more root beer. Serve with straws and spoons.

This classic root beer float, also known as a 'black cow' or 'brown cow', starts with scoops of vanilla ice cream. Then, the ice cream is topped with root beer, whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry.

Ice cream or fizzy drink first? For full-on froth, add the fizzy pop to a glass that has a healthy scoop of ice cream at the bottom.

Try making your root beer floats by first filling clear plastic cold cups a little more than half with soda. Then scooping in your desired amount of ice cream and topping it with a lid. Finish by adding the last little bit of soda to fill the cup.

Fortunately, the recipe couldn't be easier. Just scoop some vanilla ice cream into a glass, then add a little rum. Pour chilled root beer over the whole thing, stir briefly and enjoy. When choosing your rum, opt for an aged variety, rather than a white rum.

Best for Root Beer Floats

For many, the only way to enjoy root beer is in a root beer float. Once you grab the best vanilla ice cream from the freezer, our Test Kitchen recommends pouring Frostie Root Beer over the top to finish this soda fountain classic. This root beer has a deep, dark color with bold flavor.

If you are using hard ice cream you put that in first and then add root beer. if you are using soft serve you put the soft serve in after filling the glass with root beer.

"Big chocolate or coffee stouts work wonderfully with complementary ice cream flavors like vanilla, coconut, or toffee, and create an even better sensory experience when put together," says TenHarmsel.

What is the difference between a black cow and a root beer float? ›

In some areas, for example, Northeastern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, "black cow" is said to mean a root beer float where a portion of the vanilla ice cream and root beer have been mixed together before filling the glass with scoops of vanilla ice cream and root beer.

The root beer helps to free air bubbles trapped in the ice cream. The fat in the ice cream coats the bubbles, protecting them and allowing them to expand to create the foam you see on root beer floats.”

It depends on the way you're making your float. If you have a soft serve machine the way many restaurants do, you want to put the root beer in first then swirl the ice cream on top. Until it's about 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch from the top, the root beer/ ice cream mix will foam up and fill the glass the rest of the way up.

When the carbonated root beer comes into contact with the ice cream, carbon dioxide bubbles release. Likewise, the soda frees air bubbles trapped in the ice cream. What's more, the fat in the ice cream coats these bubbles. Thus, protecting them and allowing them to expand.

Everything must be chilled

I put the glass mugs in the freezer a few hours before I plan on serving the root beer floats. I think it is a given that the ice cream is stored in the freezer but you might not think of putting the root beer in the freezer and that is an important step.

Also known as a "black cow" or "brown cow", the root beer float is traditionally made with vanilla ice cream and root beer, but it can also be made with other ice cream flavors. Frank J. Wisner, owner of Colorado's Cripple Creek Brewing, is credited with creating the first root beer float on August 19, 1893.

Ice floats because it is less dense than the water. Something denser than water, like a rock, will sink to the bottom. To be able to float, an object must displace fluid with a weight equal to its own weight. The fact that ice floats in water is a bit strange, because most substances are denser when they're solids.