An ice cream soda (aka: ice cream float, soda float) is one of those classic, refreshing beverages which are just absolutely perfect during the peak of August on a dog day afternoon. I was surprised to learn that it's a drink that's been around for over a hundred years, definitely at its height in the '50s and '60s and having a huge rebirth today.

There may not be many of the old time malt shops on Main Street USA like back in the day (such as Bischoff's in Teaneck, NJ), but they still exist if you know where to look.

Continuing with my old-school East Coast mentality and passion for tradition, we recently introduced a new old-fashioned soda line off the meatball cart—Doo Wop Pop—which takes you back in time and makes you wanna dance! There are a variety of flavors from creme to black cherry. My father actually helped develop the recipe for the signature root beer years ago (my personal favorite) which is sweet and crisp—a cold bite but not overpowering—very smooth with very little bubbles. Naturally, I had to try a float using the Doo Wop sodas. I'll sum up the results with an AHHHHHH!!!!!!

Let me tell you the right and wrong way to serve and enjoy an ice cream soda. If your neighborhood has an ice cream man, they should be able to hook you up. I ordered two separate Coke Floats off a Mister Softee and a Good Humor truck recently—one far better than the other. In my opinion, your Coke Float should not be like a shake where everything is blended together, it should be a "layered" beverage that allows you to enjoy something special with every sip.

The way I make mine is as follows...I first pour about four ounces of soda into a chilled glass (having your glass come out of the freezer is essential), I next follow that with two scoops of semi-softened vanilla ice cream (not hard as a rock but not liquidy either). Then, I add the rest of the soda over the ice cream. What happens with that technique is you get a magical fizzling action which rises (FLOATS) your ice cream to the top of the glass. It also creates a 2-inch frothy head, almost as if you are pouring a beer from a tap. There's no reason to stir, as you drink it, the ice cream gets melty and begins to fall to the bottom and incorporate itself into the entire beverage on its own.


When it comes to the ice cream for a float—I'm a purist—and go for strictly vanilla. But you can get real crazy with the soda, and I came up with a few crazy cool combos. While Coke and root beer are definitely American favorites, below are a few paisan incarnations of the float. So grab a pint of vanilla ice cream and try scooping some into these sodas, all which are very popular in the cugine community...

Orangina Float- The citrus beverage in the curvy bottles simulates the familiar boardwalk orange custard treat as a float. Aranciata also works perfect.

Manhattan Special Float- Every Italian knows of this Brooklyn espresso soda, but not everyone has had it with ice cream. Try it once and you’ll be hooked!

Chinotto Float- This dark Italian soft drink is a unique delight with a few scoops of vanilla.

Egg Cream Float- A true egg cream is made with seltzer, U-Bet Syrup and milk, but try substituting ice cream for the milk. Mmmmm.

Birra Moretti Float- Yes, real beer does work! I believe this is called a “dark lager float.”