Properly Sauced – Root Beer Float

By Anthony Todd in Food on Aug 19, 2008 4:26PM

The awesome holidays are coming one after another this August. Today is the 100th anniversary of the Root Beer Float, one of our favorite summer treats. Originally called a “black cow” (or a “brown cow, depending on who you believe), it was created by Frank Wisner in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Try out this Root Beer Float inspired cocktail, perfect for tonight’s dessert.

Root Beer Float

Practically all the root beer float cocktail recipes we could find involved Root Beer-flavored schnapps, a fairly disgusting, artificially-flavored concoction that we would as soon avoid. Instead, in this recipe we use a combination of good root beer, vodka and Galliano to create a strong root beer flavor.

2 oz Galliano
1 oz Vodka
Root Beer
1 oz Heavy Cream

Combine Galliano, vodka and heavy cream in a tall glass filled with ice. Fill with Root Beer – we prefer Sprecher, but for a Chicago taste, try Goose Island (Ed. Note: Berghoff can work, as well. All three of these are free of high fructose corn syrup). Stir to combine. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, preferably homemade, and a root beer barrel.

For a cute dessert, serve this cocktail alongside a miniature old-fashioned root beer float. Fill a shot glass with small scoops of ice cream and another with root beer – serve them together and let your guests pour the float.