by Jess Catherine, Merchandising Assistant

A bottle of Wisco-Pop cherry soda, a half eaten ice cream float, and a pint of Sassy Cow vanilla ice cream lined up on a tray

thought I would experiment with an old favorite— The Root Beer Float. I admit, why change a good thing? But with all the yummy and local options at the Co-op, I thought I would give some more unique flavors a try. I also brought along a few colleagues to get some feedback and here is what happened.

Ingredients: To start out I chose a number of sparkling beverages, and a few flavors of ice cream. I kept it simple by using vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate and I also opted for some fruity gelato. Yum!

We tried a slew of variations and in the end came up with some ridiculously good tasting floats!

Reed’s Ginger Beer & Vanilla Ice Cream

The ginger beer was a nice option because it offers more complexity than the standard super sweet soda.

Cherry Wisco Pop & Chocolate Ice Cream 

 I didn’t think I’d like this one, but it actually worked. It was kind of like a cherry chocolate milk but fizzy!

GT’s Bloom Kombucha (Elderflower, Jasmine, Violet) & Vanilla

My personal favorite.

GT’s Lavender Love Kombucha & Raspberry Gelato

This one works excellent with vanilla ice cream. I can’t wait to try mango or blackberry gelato next time.

Pineapple Coconut Juice, Vanilla Ice Cream, & Seltzer 

A little less sweet and perfect for any time.

Lower-Sugar Float Ideas

Tropical juices, macha tea, coffee, herbal teas, and passion fruit nectar…endless possibilities.

So grab a 6-pack of seltzer water if you don’t typically keep soda around and add a splash. Club soda and sparkling water will work just fine too! However, seltzer generally does not contain added minerals, which gives it a more “true” water taste, although this depends on the brand.

I hope you get to try out some of these new flavors, and if you do, please let me know what you liked or didn’t like about them.


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