Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Other Cocktails

Boozy Root Beer Float

By
Liquor.com
Liquor.com

Liquor.com has been serving drinks enthusiasts and industry professionals since 2009. Our writers are some of the most respected in the industry, and our recipes are contributed by bartenders who form a veritable "Who's Who" of the cocktail world.

Learn about Liquor.com's Editorial Process
Updated 07/3/21
Boozy Root Beer Float in a highball glass with a red-and-white straw
Image:

Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

Root Beer Floats are the nostalgic drinks of pool parties and summer sleepovers. But, while you may have enjoyed this sweet and creamy classic as a kid, you’ll be happy to learn that the adult version is even better.

The Boozy Root Beer Float takes everything you love about the original—namely the ice cream and root beer—and upgrades it with a pour of rum. The result is a perfect antidote to a hot summer day.

Fortunately, the recipe couldn’t be easier to make. Just scoop some vanilla ice cream into a glass, then add a little rum. Pour chilled root beer over the whole thing, stir briefly, and enjoy.

When choosing your rum, opt for an aged variety, rather than a white rum. Aged rums will feature some barrel-induced accents like caramel, vanilla and spice, which merge seamlessly with the root beer and ice cream. Other spirits, particularly bourbon, also do an admirable job fortifying this cocktail, but when in doubt, rum is the answer.

Serve the Boozy Root Beer Float at backyard barbecues, summer parties and other gatherings where ice-cold beverages are in order, and note the smiles that wash over your friends with each sip of this nostalgic drink.

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce rum

  • 1 scoop vanilla ice cream

  • Root beer (such as A&W or Dad’s Root Beer), chilled, to top

Steps

  1. Add the rum and ice cream into a tall glass.

  2. Slowly pour the root beer into the glass until it’s full, then stir gently and briefly to combine.