How Now, Black Cow – Wherein The Author Celebrates The Root Beer Float

Did you know that August 6th is National Root Beer Float Day? Today’s post will perform double duty (or maybe provide two scoops) by offering a timely reminder of this important day of observance, and by delving into the creamy delight that is the root beer float.

When you look up “root beer float” online, you are likely to get multiple recipe posts entitled something like “How to make a root beer float”. Which reminds me of the old joke, “How do you make an elephant float?” The answer is, of course, two scoops of ice cream, root beer and an elephant. A root beer float is made in exactly the same way, but without the elephant.

I suppose you could also make a root beer float the same way I discovered during a canoe trip years ago, which is to not tie the lid shut on your cooler when you dump the canoe in the sections of rapid white water. Which worked out OK for me when I did that, because there was a constant selection of floating, unopened canned beverages of all kinds available for thirsty paddlers. This was, actually, my favorite kind of fishing, in which regular (non-root) beer floats were far more common than root beer floats. But I digress.

To get a root beer float, you must start with root beer, of course. A beverage made from sassafras root was known as early as the 1830’s, but it was pharmacist Charles Hire who offered a modern root beer for sale in 1875. Hire’s non-alcoholic concoction was popular at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. Hires bottled his beverage by 1886 and all was well until 1960, when the government determined that extracts of sassafras roots and bark were bad for you. This led to all commercial root beers being reformulated in an attempt to keep all of the flavor but without the cancerous side effects.

The root beer float is said to have been invented by Frank J. Wisner of Cripple Creek, Colorado. Mr. Wisner was inspired by the snow capped peak of one of the Rocky Mountains, which he decided (at least according to the legend) looked like a scoop of vanilla ice cream in root beer. Wisner called it a “Black Cow Mountain”, which is why a root beer float is sometimes also called a Black Cow.

A root beer float (or black cow, if you prefer) is just a variation on the “ice cream soda” that is said to have originated at the Franklin Institute’s semicentennial celebration in 1874. A fellow named Robert Green was selling iced drinks and ran out of ice and used another vendor’s ice cream in its place. Or else he just thought of it to upstage other vendors. Either that or it was somebody else. As with almost everything that happened before 1900, it is hard to get a solid spoonful of exactly what happened.

When I was a kid, my grandma’s version of an “ice cream soda” was vanilla ice cream in a glass with some strawberry soda poured over it. It was always better with a both a spoon and a straw, of course. For some reason, Grandma always kept strawberry soda on hand but never root beer. This is one of very few things in which I find fault with her ways of doing things. At least she wasn’t from New England where they put ice cream in ginger ale (the Boston Cooler) which sounds awful. I expect more from the people who came up with the Boston Cream Pie.

I remember in my youth when the Arby’s Roast Beef chain used to offer two unusual flavors of milkshakes. There was Jamocha, which was a chocolate-coffee flavor and the Black Cow. I think I tasted the Jamocha first and never strayed, and this is probably the reason it remains on Arby’s menu even today. But the black cow flavor was gone by the 1980’s.

With August 6th fast approaching, it is best to get your supplies on hand. A favorite brand or root beer is essential – A&W has a nice flavor as far as my taste buds are concerned, but there are plenty of good choices and each has its fans. The other good news is that you needn’t splurge on pricey ice cream because almost any half decent brand of vanilla ice cream will do. A couple of scoops of ice cream into a good-sized glass, drop in both a spoon and a straw, then commence to pouring the root beer.

The foaming root beer will react with the ice cream, which affords the opportunity to slurp away at the quickly rising foam as you slowly pour a decent level of root beer into your float. My own method of enjoying the RBF is to eat the ice cream with the spoon, making sure to get a little root beer into every bite. Then, the super ice-creamy root beer that remains in the glass may be joyfully slurped up with a straw.

Whether you prefer the term Black Cow or the more generic Root Beer Float, treating yourself to one next week is something you deserve. National Root Beer Float Day deserves your full support!

Photo Credits- The Flickr Page of Dan4th Nicholas and PublicDomain.net

49 thoughts on “How Now, Black Cow – Wherein The Author Celebrates The Root Beer Float”

  2. The root beer float says “summer” to me! We grew up having a few a summer, not really a regular occurrence, which is what made it special. My parents were not soda stockers: “…that stuff will rot your teeth…”, so any root beer float making had to be pre planned. To this day, I cringe when at the market, to see families with small kids, and shopping carts absolute full of Coke!

    My Dad always referred to a root beer float as a “Black Cow”, but many years ago, I tried to parse out the difference, if there was any, between the Black Cow and root beer float. I was led to believe by some sources that a root beer float (which I prefer) is scoops of ice cream in a glass, with root beer poured over it; and a Black Cow, was root beer and vanilla ice cream “blended” in a cup: more like what your root beer float looks like towards the end. There may even be “recipes” published by Grandads Root Beer, and/or others, that call out the “blending”. Any others hear of these variations?

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    • At my house, I usually have somewhere between 0 and 1 of the required ingredients on hand. When there is vanilla ice cream in the freezer there is no root beer, and vise versa. The last time I caught the RBF bug, I bought a 12-pack of those little 7 ounce cans of A&W, which is a perfect serving size for this purpose. I have a can or two left, but no ice cream now.

      Marianne grew up thinking that a black cow was a float made with some dark-colored soda other than root beer, but I don’t think she’s correct on this. She and I will surely discuss this further and will probably argue it to a draw, each convinced of the other’s being totally wrong. 🤠

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  3. Steely Dan once said “Drink your big Black Cow and get out of here,” rather dismissively if you ask me. Surely they were not immune to the joys of a lovingly made root beer float on a summer afternoon. Maybe they were just having a bad day.

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  4. From Reddit, not necessarily an unimpeachable source:

    Black Cow in Wisconsin culture is essentially a blended root beer float. Like a root beer float milkshake. It’s one of my favorites. Alcoholic version would be news to me…

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    • Interesting! Sounds like the term could be one with regional variations. My only response to the Wisconsinites: But when you stir it up, it isn’t black anymore, is it! 😛

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    • Living in the home town of Sprecher, I can say that there are many that love it, BUT, Sprecher has the reputation of being “less carbonated”, or in layman’s terms, it has a little less “snap”, while seemingly a little more “thick”, if that would also be the term. Also a little less sugary. I actually drink a lot of it! Sprecher also makes a full line of what they refer to as “craft” sodas along with their beer variations, including creme soda, grape soda, cherry soda, and maple root beer, as well as a reduced calorie root beer that is not so low as to be considered diet. They also have an orange dream, which is supposed to be like an orange dreamsicle, for those who know what that is. I’ve never had a root beer float made with Sprecher, but wonder of something with a little more carbonation and “snap”, like IBC, would be better? When we moved here in the 60’s, the big local root beer was Grandpa Grafs, made right here on 22nd and Greenfield Avenue. It was everywhere and the easiest to find.

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  8. JP, I could go for a root beer float now and I don’t have any fixin’s to make it. Unlike your memories of your grandma making a strawberry float, I never remember having a float as a kid (the ol’ “no pop as you’ll get cavities” line), but as an adult I liked to have a root beer float when I went to A&W … the whole experience with the carhop, tray hanging off the window, a footlong coney and curly fries, maybe even onion rings, topped off with a root beer float. Good thing I was tall, but I shared the fries/onion rings with Mom. Here in Detroit, it is a Boston Cooler made with Vernors and ice cream – supposedly a drink which originated here as the Vernor’s bottling plant was in Detroit. I find the Vernor’s taste a little sharp for my liking and I never cared for ginger ale due its “fizziness”. Thank you for the history lesson – if I can’t have a root beer float, I’ll take one of those root barrel candies then.

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    • Your memory of the A&W drive in is not giving me some cravings! As for growing up with pop at home, we didn’t keep it on hand when I was young (or else my parents hid it) but things were always more relaxed at grandma’s.

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      • I was giving myself a craving for A&W just writing about it. I’ve actually not had that meal since before my mom passed away, so that’s 15 years and I’m way overdue. My grandmother always had little hard candies in a tin to give me as she knew I didn’t get candy at home … she bought Laura Secord “Humbugs” which were brown-and-yellow hard candies striped like a bee/bug.

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  11. Well, now you’ve done it. You’ve opened the gigantic Pandora’s box that contains hyper-local regionalisms regarding fountain (or, as old-timers and old-timer-wannabes here in New England might say “Spa”) drinks.

    I’m with Marianne with regard to believing that a Black Cow is any ice cream preparation with a dark soda. That’s because that’s what I learned as a youth from my mom.  She taught me that along with the essential knowledge that a root beer float is in fact a “Root Beer Float”.  Further, it had to be made only with Hires root beer. There simply was no other. All other pretenders to Hires were just sugary sodas (never “Pop”, or “Tonic”, which would be something that you can get at the counter in a Spa).

    Personally, if I’m going to drink ice cream I’m more likely to forego the soda/pop/tonic and turn to a chocolate frappe (what non-New Englanders call a “milkshake”). Of course, a frappe is probably known nearly nationwide due to its being featured at the rapidly-vanishing Friendly’s chain. Friendly’s having originated in Wilbraham, MA (as their giant topiary visible from Interstate 90 West will tell you). Surely if Friendly’s had gone with calling their ice cream drinks “Cabinets” (what one calls a frappe in Rhode Island), the chain would have continued to thrive. If I’m really splurging, I’ll ask for my frappe to be topped with whipped cream and jimmies (which are not condoms, but rather the local name for multi-colored candy sprinkles).

    Given that I’m in New England, where we have a natural antipathy to all things New York, I would never want an “Egg Cream”, which is a vile concoction that removes the ice cream from a frappe and replaces it with seltzer water.  No thank you. Fortunately, there aren’t any eggs in Egg Creams.

    Finally, I offer the correction that the Boston Cooler is not something that anyone in Boston drinks. The give away for that is the fact that apparently a Boston Cooler contains Vernor’s ginger ale. Vernor’s is apparently synonymous for ginger ale in Michigan, just like Del’s is for frozen lemonade in Rhode Island. The Boston Cooler is reportedly popular in Detroit. Hence the reputation of the people who created Boston Cream Pie (which is actually from Boston, but not a pie) is safe.

    Terrific summer topic!

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    • I love everything about this comment! Oh, except for the part where you side with Marianne about the black cow, but we can save that one for later.

      I was once in Florida and stopped into a little soda fountain where they offered an egg cream. I had read about them and always wondered what they were, so I ordered one. The old guy behind the counter (who was clearly from New Yawk) tried to warn me off – “It’s probably not what you think it is, it’s just syrup and soda water”. I got one anyway. I did not love it. And thanks for clearing up the Boston Cooler thing – I have erased that black mark against the good people of Boston.

      The Frappe vs. Milkshake thing is interesting, especially since McRonalds has added Frappes to their menu. In McD world, a Frappe and a milkshake (which they probably have to call a shake because there may not be any milk in it) are very different things. I like both varieties. I would imagine that a McDonalds frappe sends New Englanders up a wall.

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      • Let’s not start the milkshake vs. malted war! A milkshake is a second class citizen to the malted, which is made with actual malt powder. There’s a drive in style place near me where I have been ordering a: “junior chocolate malt with extra malt” for years, when I’m actually living here. If you get to near bottom, and it’s a little crunchy/sandy, it’s been made correctly! I don’t think anyone needs more than the “junior” unless you want a sugar hangover, or to be driven to the hospital immediately (which is actually right across the street).

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      • I will confess that I was never a big malt fan, but I know that those who are really love them. For me, malt powder is a great way to ruin a good chocolate milkshake. 😁

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      • Here it is, scant minutes away. You’ll notice both malts AND shakes on the wrap around neon, and of course, custard. You in dairy country now boy! I have to explain all over the country, where ever I live, that “custard” is not more sugary than ice cream, but more “creamy”, having a higher fat content, among other things…

        https://leonsfrozencustardmke.com

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      • Having spent a lot of time on the New Jersey shore, I do have to say that I prefer a custard with sprinkles (sometimes called jimmies there too) in an “regular” eat-it-all cone (versus the actual cone-shaped “waffle” cone) to almost any sort of solid, scooped, ice cream. Custard is hard to find in New England…where it’s called “soft serve” and sometimes by the genericided names of “Softee” or “Mr. Whippy”.

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      • We in the midwest have a distinction between “soft serve” and “custard”, with the latter being of much higher quality. Which means it has far more fat in it.

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      • J.P., I’m not quite sure about this, but I think what is referred to as “soft serve”, probably has the lowest fat content, and is made specifically to be “extruded” (like a Play-Doh Fun Factory), out of a machine into a cone (and actually might be ‘puffed’ with air content as well, making it “soft’ served). Available at places like Dairy Queen and even McDonalds. Real ice cream has more fat, and must generally be scooped, and custard has the highest fat content, and get’s scooped as well. I think the term “soft serve” may have been coined because it wasn’t legal to call it ice cream? After dinner here, people might go out for “custard”, but no one says “going out for ice cream”. We are inundated with long in business and family owned custard joints, Gillies (5 minutes from me), Leons, Kopps (which is also well known for their burgers and onion rings; multiple locations), and a bunch of other smaller single store operations. Most serve Chocolate, Vanilla, and then one or two “flavors of the day”, and actually have a monthly calendar on line telling of the upcoming flavors!

        https://kopps.com/flavor-preview

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      • Culvers (from Wisconsin) has made a pretty good splash throughout the midwest. They will serve you a root beer float with vanilla custard and their own root beer, that is quite good.

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      • Culver’s also has a pretty decent burger, and many prefer it locally to Kopps! I know a photographer than photographed Mr. Culver for one of the state publications and said he was quite a nice guy, and a lot of his employees really thought highly of him. Good enough for me in this day and age!

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  12. My paternal grandparents would always make root beer floats when we visited. However, that was only from 1957-62 as we moved from the close vicinity of NYC to Maryland. They even used those special float glasses that were wider at the top. Since then I have very rarely had a root beer float since then. In fact never outside the house and in the house only recently like last year to show my son. So that is roughly 64 years since my last root beer float. Luckily the vanilla ice cream I wanted I could get at Rite Aid which was the Thrifty brand going way back in time. My father worked at Carnation, up until 1968, and was were attuned to ice cream. He felt that Thrifty was the best at the time as this was before top shelf ice creams. I recall buying ice cream cones from Thrifty’s Drug stores in 1968. Yes, their stuff was good. I’ll have to make me one this August 6th with Thrifty vanilla before the Rite Aids disappear due to bankruptcy.

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  13. I’m craving one now…..but it’s 11pm at night….maybe tomorrow on the deck while watching the ball game. I haven’t had a root beer float in five years. HA to the beverages floating in the rapids! Your method of enjoying the float is correct – eat the ice cream first with a spoon and then slurp the rest.

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    • I think I should lobby my employer to recognize the holiday by giving us all the day off so that we can properly enjoy the day! I jumped the gun by celebrating early, so another trip to the store is called for.

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  16. My father loved root beer, but I never cared for it. My favorite floats are Coke floats…during my youth, a local drive-in restaurant sold the best Coke floats I’ve ever had. This place used soft-serve vanilla ice cream.

    This past weekened I attended the big car show at the annual Das Awkscht Fescht in Macungie, Pennsylvania. I knew that the one ice cream stand at the show only sells root beer floats, so I brought my own bottle of regular Coke to pour over a dish of vanilla ice cream. Problem solved!

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