Root beer floats are already pretty easy, and already pretty delicious. Just add some vanilla ice cream to a glass of root beer, and voila — a sweet, creamy, and fizzy dessert-drink perfect for staying cool in the summer or to be enjoyed simply for the fun of it. We’re not going to step on the root beer float’s toes here, but what if you wanted to give this tasty treat a bit more of an adult boozy kick? You can do exactly that, and still only need two ingredients.
Bourbon and cream are already a match made in heaven — so much so that some bourbon distillers have gone ahead and made bourbon cream. Inspired by the likes of Irish cream, which itself can be used in a variety of ways, bourbon cream simply combines bourbon whiskey and cream. The result is a delectable and tasty beverage ideal for sipping on its own or, more importantly here, replacing the ice cream component in your root beer float. Simply choose a good quality root beer and add a couple shots of bourbon cream — the vanilla notes of bourbon combined with the cream serve as a great replacement for ice cream, and give your float a boozy touch while still being imminently refreshing and cooling.
How to choose a bourbon cream
Bourbon is no stranger to being used in creamy drinks — just look at how well bourbon works with coffee and ice cream in a cold brew-based drink. It should come as no surprise then that bourbon cream came about. But even if bourbon cream’s starting point is in a good place, you should still do your homework and figure out which bourbon cream works best for your floats.
Each bourbon is different from the rest, and this convention is no different with bourbon creams, since each distiller is still using its chosen bourbon as a base. One popular bourbon cream comes from Buffalo Trace, interestingly enough the company that produces a truly great “bottom shelf” bottle as well the most expensive bourbon to date. The tasting notes from the company’s own website describes its bourbon cream as “rich and sweet” with a “creamy vanilla” presence — ideal notes for an ice cream replacement in a float. This, or other similar bourbon creams, are prime targets if you’re looking to use bourbon cream in your root beer floats. Just make sure to store it in the fridge and look out for the signs that it has gone bad – though, with this root beer float as an option, that probably won’t be a problem.
