5 Alcohol-Infused Ice Cream Float Ideas for Your Summer Gatherings

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Planning a summer party requires plenty of snacks, treats, and sweets to satisfy your guests. The humble ice cream float is a perfect dessert for any summertime get-together for the infinite number of refreshing combinations you can choose. If you’re a fan of potent beverages, the boozy ice cream float is a perfect riff on a classic dessert that is sure to please. When you want to enjoy all the delightful flavors of summer while beating the heat and enjoying a gentle buzz, mix up a batch of spiked ice cream floats that use notes of berries, piña colada cocktails, pink lemonade, old fashioned root beer, and peaches.

Ideally made by adding a scoop of ice cream to a carbonated beverage, there are plenty of clever variations you can make with each float that will accommodate different taste preferences and levels of potency. In fact, any of these ice cream floats can be made with or without alcohol. When hosting a party, just make sure to clearly label and separate alcoholic beverages from non-alcoholic ones to avoid confusion. All of these delicious floats are easy to prepare and you can even set up a dessert station complete with cups, ice cream scoops, mixers, and printed suggestions for how to prepare a complementary combination of these seasonal flavors.

Of the many fruits available in the summertime, berries are an excellent choice for their great taste and nutritional value. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are all in-season in the summer and can provide a wonderful basis for a boozy ice cream float. Start with a berry-based craft beer such as Lindemans Framboise Raspberry Lambic as your base. To this, add a scoop or two of your favorite strawberry ice cream or make an easy 3-ingredient strawberry “nice cream” to use as your frozen float topping.

If you prefer different berry flavors, there is a lot you can do to adapt this idea to suit your taste preferences. For example, try mixing up a cup of fruit punch and a shot of white rum and topping it off with sparkling water before adding your scoop of ice cream. You can also choose a berry flavored hard seltzer or even a boozy berry ice cream. To make a non-alcoholic version, try adding a scoop of Jeni’s Wildberry Lavender Ice Cream to a frosty glass of Fanta Berry Soda. Garnish your glass with a toothpick stuck through a few blueberries and blackberries or sprinkle freeze-dried strawberries over the top of your ice cream.

The piña colada is synonymous with summertime for its burst of bright, tropical flavors. For this boozy ice cream float, you can actually do it a few different ways, depending on which one of the fruits you want to stand out the most. For example, you can pour a cup of Jarritos Pineapple Soda and combine it with a shot of your favorite type of rum before scooping a generous portion of coconut ice cream or sorbet on top. As a note, Malibu Coconut Rum is a particularly optimal choice for this float. 

On the flipside, you can create a more coconut-forward boozy ice cream float by starting with a cup of coconut-flavored hard seltzer, coconut water mixed with soda water and a shot of rum, or even La Croix Coconut Sparkling Water and rum. Top all of that off with a heaping scoop of pineapple ice cream and you’ll be made in the shade. For a lava flow-inspired take, add a scoop or two of strawberry puree as a tasty finishing touch. You can also try spicing up this tropical ice cream float by rimming the glasses with Tajín.

While lemonade isn’t carbonated, you can still make an easy and breezy ice cream float with a glass of lemonade topped with cherry ice cream or raspberry sorbet. You can always add in some bubbles to help give your float a bit more texture. For the boozy portion, a shot of whiskey would go well mixed into your lemonade base or you can choose a spiked hard lemonade like Mike’s Hard Lemonade or Simply Spiked. Starting with a lemon soda such as Fever-Tree Sparkling Sicilian Lemonade would also be a great idea and allow you to add either whiskey, vodka, gin, or the spirit of your choosing before topping it off with your favorite berry or cherry ice cream.

As the pink color can be attributed to a few different sources, you can let your creativity take over when determining the ice cream you prefer to add to your spiked, fizzy lemonade to make the right float for you and your party guest. Black cherry ice cream will give your float a rich, unforgettable taste as would a strawberry or even a watermelon gelato. Try a lemon soda mixed with vodka, topped with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and drizzled with a generous float of grenadine to get a perfectly pink topping to complement the lemony flavors of summer and classic great taste of vanilla ice cream.

There’s nothing quite like a classic root beer float for the ideal summertime indulgence. This dessert is perfect for serving at your next party -– and especially thoughtful when paired with a batch of root beer float cupcakes. Among the many creative ways you can add a splash of booze to your drink, one of the easiest is to add a bourbon cream shot. Another is to start with a base of spiked root beer and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. You can also spike your favorite brand of store-bought root beer with other spirits like vanilla vodka or a root beer flavored liqueur. Smirnoff even makes a root beer float flavored vodka if you really want to amp up your dessert drink.

To make the ultimate boozy root beer and ice cream float, mix a shot of Smirnoff Root Beer with a bold brand of root beer such as Dad’s Root Beer and pour it into a frosty mug. You can also crush up root beer barrel candies and use this as a rim around the glass. Next, add a luscious scoop of creamy vanilla bean ice cream or gelato for the very best flavor and consistency. Try a lighter riff on this recipe by using Liquid Death Root Beer-Flavored Sparkling Water as your base and adding a shot of vodka and a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt.

For an ice cream float that truly encapsulates the look, feel, and taste of the summer season, look no further than the delicious combination of peaches and bourbon. This “peachy keen” float will leave you feeling satisfied and refreshed and can be made using a boozy beverage or not. To prepare this as a potent dessert, start with a glass of a quality peach drink such as Jumex Peach Juice Nectar and mix in a shot of your favorite bourbon. Top this off with a hefty scoop of praline ice cream. For a fizzy version, try a mixing can of Crush Peach Soda with a shot of bourbon and topping it with a scoop of praline, salted caramel, or even a classic vanilla ice cream.

Garnish your glass with a wedge of fresh peach or get extra creative by slicing a gummy peach ring as your decoration. You can also rim your glass with a mixture of brown sugar and crumbled freeze dried peaches for extra texture and taste. To make a non-alcoholic version of this delightful dessert drink, simply omit the shot of bourbon and proceed with the rest of the process. Building this summertime drink will make you appreciate the flavors of the season and will definitely wow your party guests.