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A root beer float is a dessert that consists of root beer and ice cream (traditionally vanilla-flavored). It is usually made by scooping ice cream into a glass or mug, and then pouring in root beer. The microscopic bubbles present in the ice cream act as "nucleation sites" which trigger the formation of large bubbles of carbon dioxide. The foam often overflows the container, and the amount of foam can be reduced to a more manageable level if the root beer is poured first, and the ice cream is then gently lowered into it. To absolutely ensure that foam is kept to a minimum: pour the root beer first, stir vigorously, wait until the bubbles subside a bit, and then add the ice cream. Root beer floats are usually eaten with a spoon. A popular technique is to take some ice cream in the spoon, dip it in the root beer, and eat it. When all of the solid ice cream is eaten, the remaining mixture of root beer and melted ice cream can be drunk either with or without a straw. Another method is to mix the ice cream and root beer together, then drink the concoction after the ice cream has melted. A root beer float can also be blended to create a consistently textured beverage not unlike a milkshake. This is often called a root beer freeze. A&W Restaurants are well known for their root beer floats. The Friendly's chain also had a variation known as a "sherbet cooler," which was a combination of orange or rainbow sherbet and seltzer water. (Nowadays it is billed as a "slammer".) A root beer float is also sometimes called a brown cow or black cow, although the former also refers to an ice cream soda made with cola instead of root beer. Another related drink is the Boston cooler (named after the Detroit street where it was supposedly first made, not after Boston, where it is unknown), made with Vernor's ginger ale. The root beer float is thought to have been invented by Frank J. Wisner in August of 1893. He was inspired to "float" a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of his Myers Avenue Red root beer from his late night glimpse of the snow on top of the blackened Cow Mountain (location of his gold claims) illuminated by the full moon overhead. It was an instant hit with the children of Cripple Creek who soon shortened the convoluted name Mr. Wisner came up with to just a "Black Cow". Mr. Wisner often remarked that if he had a nickel for every time someone ordered a Black Cow, he would have been a rich man.
Variations Instead of root beer, one can use a cola; with Coca-Cola such a drink would be called a Coke float or a brown cow. Sprite or 7-up floats also exist, but are far less common and do not have a uniform name. In Brazil, a somewhat popular alternative is "yellow cow", made with orange-flavored Fanta. In Australia, Coca-Cola resellers with access to soft-serve facilities (namely cinemas or small cafe styled stores) launched the "Coke Spider", a post mix Coke with vanilla soft-serve. Since then, many businesses and the general population refer to this drink as a "spider", with exception to McDonald's which marketed the same product in 2004 as the "Coke Float" (available in all Coke brand flavours.) The Cincinnati based United Dairy Farmers chain of ice cream parlors sells a float consisting of Barq's Red Cream Soda and vanilla Homemade brand ice cream. This variant is called a "Pink Cow". See also | ||||||||
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