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Root Beer Floats

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Yield

Serves 4

Root Beer Floats

Ingredients

2 (12-ounce) bottles or cans cold root beer, divided2 envelopes unflavored gelatin 6 tablespoons (2⅔ ounces/75 grams) sugar, divided1 cup heavy cream

Before You Begin

Layers of bubbly root beer-flavored gelatin and soft whipped cream make up this malt-shop classic. To preserve as many bubbles as possible, use two 12-ounce bottles of root beer, opening the second bottle just before stirring it into the gelatin mixture. For a special effect, save the bubbly top of the root beer gelatin to crown the float.

Instructions

  1. Soften gelatin: Place 1/2 cup root beer in small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over root beer. Let stand 5 minutes to soften gelatin.
  2. Heat liquid: Bring 1 cup root beer and 1/4 cup sugar to boil in small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and whisk in gelatin mixture until all lumps dissolve. Pour into bowl and cool to room temperature. Gently stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups root beer, taking care not to deflate bubbles. Refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours or up to 1 day.
  3. Beat cream: Using electric mixer, beat cream and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until cream holds soft peaks.
  4. Layer float: Spoon one-eighth of root beer mixture into each of 4 mugs or sundae dishes. Top with one-eighth of whipped cream. Repeat with remaining root beer mixture and whipped cream. Top with cap of bubbly root beer gelatin and serve.
Root Beer Floats

Root Beer Floats

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 (12-ounce) bottles or cans cold root beer, divided
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
6 tablespoons (2⅔ ounces/75 grams) sugar, divided
1 cup heavy cream

Ingredients

2 (12-ounce) bottles or cans cold root beer, divided
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
6 tablespoons (2⅔ ounces/75 grams) sugar, divided
1 cup heavy cream

Ingredients

2 (12-ounce) bottles or cans cold root beer, divided
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
6 tablespoons (2⅔ ounces/75 grams) sugar, divided
1 cup heavy cream

Why This Recipe Works

For an interesting twist on traditional gelatin, we decided to make root beer gelatin and create a recipe for a "root beer float" without ice cream. Simmering a portion of the root beer with the gelatin, then mixing it with the remaining root beer and chilling the result easily created root beer gelatin. To mimic ice cream in this Root Beer Float recipe, we whipped heavy cream and sugar, then layered it between scoops of the root beer gelatin.

Before You Begin

Layers of bubbly root beer-flavored gelatin and soft whipped cream make up this malt-shop classic. To preserve as many bubbles as possible, use two 12-ounce bottles of root beer, opening the second bottle just before stirring it into the gelatin mixture. For a special effect, save the bubbly top of the root beer gelatin to crown the float.

Instructions

  1. Soften gelatin: Place 1/2 cup root beer in small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over root beer. Let stand 5 minutes to soften gelatin.
  2. Heat liquid: Bring 1 cup root beer and 1/4 cup sugar to boil in small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and whisk in gelatin mixture until all lumps dissolve. Pour into bowl and cool to room temperature. Gently stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups root beer, taking care not to deflate bubbles. Refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours or up to 1 day.
  3. Beat cream: Using electric mixer, beat cream and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until cream holds soft peaks.
  4. Layer float: Spoon one-eighth of root beer mixture into each of 4 mugs or sundae dishes. Top with one-eighth of whipped cream. Repeat with remaining root beer mixture and whipped cream. Top with cap of bubbly root beer gelatin and serve.

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