Why An Ice Cream Float Isn't The Same As An Ice Cream Soda - Tasting Table

"When the sun is shining, all you want is a frosty cold treat to cool you down. Ice cream is always a great option, as is a tall glass of chilled soda. If you want both, you can always combine the two and build a delicious ice cream float or ice cream soda. But you will need to make some sort of decision, because although they're very similar, the diner classics are actually prepared in different ways."

"Ice cream sodas can be traced all the way back to the 1890s, when people were drinking cream sodas, which were essentially just glasses of soda water mixed with heavy cream and sweet syrups (similar to a French soda). There are a few different versions of the origin story, but essentially, a soda shop owner eventually replaced the cream with ice cream, and the ice cream soda was born."

Ice cream floats consist of one or two scoops of ice cream, typically vanilla, topped with flavored soda such as root beer, cola, or orange. Ice cream sodas combine ice cream with plain soda water and flavored syrups, and often include whipped cream on top. Ice cream sodas originated in the 1890s from cream sodas, evolving when a soda shop owner replaced cream with ice cream. A root beer float is credited to Colorado miner Frank Wisner, who reportedly swapped soda water for root beer. Traditional syrups for ice cream sodas include chocolate, strawberry, peppermint, and walnut cream. Both treats remain popular at diners.

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