How To Make An Alcoholic Ice Cream Float Without Replacing The Root Beer

Whether you're 6 or 106, nothing hits the spot quite like a good old-fashioned root beer float. However, the great thing about having one as an adult is that you can have a grown-up version of this timeless classic! Combining stout-style beer and chocolate ice cream can make a boozy dessert drink that closely mimics the flavors of a root beer float, but because we hate to mess with a good thing too much, we consulted Rachel Chitwood, VP of marketing at Tipsy Scoop, for advice on how to make an alcoholic root beer float without leaving root beer out of the equation entirely. The solution is liquor-infused ice cream. Luckily, Tipsy Scoop specializes in that sort of thing.

"With root beer's notes of vanilla, molasses, and caramel, it pairs perfectly with ice cream," Chitwood explains, "especially our Vanilla Bean Bourbon ice cream, or for the chocolate lovers, our Dark Chocolate Whiskey Salted Caramel ice cream!" Using ice cream that already has liquor mixed in not only simplifies the recipe, it also saves you from having to pour it directly over your ice cream. (Tipsy Scoop founder and CEO Melissa Tavss pointed out in an exclusive interview with Mashed that pouring booze directly on ice cream is a no-go, as it doesn't blend well.)

To replicate the complex flavors of a root beer float with alcohol, you typically need to use more than one liquor. A Colorado Bulldog cocktail recipe comes close with vodka, Kahlua, cream, and Coke. By using booze-infused ice cream in its place, you need fewer ingredients. "For a grown-up take on the childhood classic, we suggest adding two large scoops of Tipsy Scoop Vanilla Bourbon to an old-fashioned milkshake glass and pouring over A&W Root Beer," says Rachel Chitwood.

With Tipsy Scoop's infused ice creams containing 5% alcohol by volume, a serving size in your float contains the same amount as a standard can of beer. If you want to kick things up a notch or two, Chitwood recommends swapping out A&W for an alcoholic root beer such as Not Your Father's Root Beer. "Extra credit if you top your float with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry," Chitwood adds.