Celebrate National Root Beer Float Day With These 6 Delectable Recipes

Photo Courtesy of Mity Nice Bar & Grill

Mity Nice Bar & Grill, Chicago

To celebrate, Chicago's Mity Nice is adding ice cream to diners' root beer at no additional cost as a nice little thank you for stopping by. Sure, you don't have to agree to the free addition, but why would you deny ice cream? Of course, if you're not in town, you can make your own float with the below recipe:

• Fill a mason jar 3/4 with root beer of your choice (go for Small Town Brewery's Not Your Father's Root Beer if you want a little alcohol with your drink).
• Add two scoops of Homer's vanilla bean ice cream.

Vosges Haut-Chocolat's Stout & Root Beer Float

Vosges Haut-Chocolat has put their own spin on the classic root beer float by adding stout along with their Aboriginal wattle seed, roasted macadamia nuts and creamy custard ice cream. "Stouts often have chocolate notes, which match well with the hazelnut and coffee flavors of the Aboriginal wattle seed. After some sipping, I found an extra splash of root beer was needed to add a touch of sweet against the stout's bitterness," says Founder and Chocolatier Katrina Markoff.

Ingredients:

• Stout Beer
• Root Beer (Virgil's suggested)
• Wattle Seed Ice cream (or ice cream of your choice)
• Drinking glass

Directions:

Fill the glass 1/3 with Wattle Seed Ice Cream (or ice cream of your choice), then fill with 1/3 with root beer and 1/2 with stout.

Photo Courtesy of Love & Olive Oil

Love & Olive Oil's Bourbon Cream Root Beer Float

This recipe for Bourbon Cream Root Beer Float from Love & Olive Oil was discovered when the blog's owners Lindsay and Taylor visited the Buffalo Trace distillery. After tasting the bourbon cream liquor, they decided to try it with some root beer and since the combination already tasted like a root beer float, they figured why not add some ice cream? Perfect choice, in our opinion. Check out the full recipe here!

Photo Courtesy of Damn Delicious

Vanilla Bean Root Beer Float From Damn Delicious

Promising the "perfect balance of vanilla bean, spice and sweetness," Damn Delicious' founder Chungah likes using Dreyer's Slow Churned Ice Cream in her Vanilla Bean Root Beer Float because with 1/3 fewer calories than full-fat ice cream, there isn't as much guilt weighing on you for drinking a float for lunch. She also suggests checking out different ice cream flavors to give your root beer float a different kick, like salted caramel or German Chocoalte. The recipe, which you can find here, was actually adapted from a vodka recipe by Minimalist Baker (found below).

Photo Courtesy of Minimalist Baker

Vodka Root Beer Floats From Minimalist Baker

After testing several different types of liquor paired with root beer, the husband and wife team behind Minimalist Baker, John and Dana, settled on vodka being the perfect accompaniment. They even make their own coconut-based dairy-free cinnamon toast ice cream to go with their Vodka Root Beer Float, which makes this a must-try recipe for any dessert lover.

Yields: 2 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:

• 2 cans Hansens Root Beer (or other natural soda)
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) quality vodka (Kahlua and dark rum also worked nicely)
• 4 scoops cinnamon toast ice cream  

Directions:

Split a can of soda between two large glasses and then add a shot of vodka to each.

Carefully drop two scoops of ice cream into each glass, and then top off with remaining can of root beer.

Slurp, scoop and enjoy!

Photo Courtesy of McCormick

Homemade Root Beer Float From McCormick

If you want to get a little more complicated with your recipe, try McCormick's Homemade Root Beer Float, which uses root beer concentrate and club soda.

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick Root Beer Concentrate
• 1 bottle (1 liter) cold club soda or seltzer
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream of your choice

Directions:

Bring water to a boil in medium saucepan. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add Root Beer Concentrate and stir until well mixed.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Slowly pour soda into root beer mixture. Place two scoops of ice cream in a tall glass. Slowly pour root beer between ice cream and side of glass. Serve immediately.