Now you know why. 
I am. I’m allowing myself one treat a week. This week it was a Root Beer float, next it’ll be an Ice-Cream Soda (maybe).
<grumble> I hate dieting. </grumble>
Fenris
a) Pour the root beer SLOWLY over the scoops of ice cream. It doesn’t foam so much if you pour SLOWLY. Why am I the first one to offer this blindingly obvious advice?
b) Ice Cream Soda method:
The technique is 1-2-3: put 2 tablespoons of syrup or flavoring in the bottom of a large soda glass. Add selzer water, stirring as you pour, to within 2 inches of the lip of the glass. Add one large scoop of very firm ice cream, trying to get it to straddle the rim of the glass, yet still submerge in the seltzer enough to begin reacting with the bubbles to create a foamy head. If the ice cream is too deep in the flavored seltzer, the soda will overflow. If it doesn’t touch the seltzer at all, you don’t have a soda. With a little practice, you will reach a perfect balance. Top the soda with a hefty squirt of whipped cream.
BLACK-AND-WHITE
> Chocolate syrup, seltzer, vanilla ice cream.
CANARY ISLAND SPECIAL
> Vanilla syrup, setzer, chocolate ice cream.
BROWN COW
> Coca-Cola, chocolate syrup, vanilla ice cream.
STRAWBERRY SODA
> strawberry syrup, a splash of milk, seltzer, vanilla or strawberry ice cream.
HOBOKEN
> pineapple syrup. a splash of milk, seltzer, chocolate ice cream.
BOSTON COOLER
> Dry ginger ale with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
CATAWBA FLIP (dates back to the 1860s; hold the whipped cream)
> 1 scoop vanilla ice cream
2 oz. grape juice
1 egg
shaved ice
seltzer
Put all ingredients into blender and mix thoroughly. Strain into tall glass, then fill with seltzer.
(Above methods and recipes adapted from Jane & Michael Stern; SQUARE MEALS: TASTE THRILLS OF ONLY YESTERDAY, Knopf, 1985)
Hey, Uke Ike, I already SAID slowly!
Fenris, I suggest a Godiva chocolate bar or one of those small 4 piece collections of chocolate. They’re expensive, but I find that they satisfy my cravings for quite a while.
Oh, and Fenris, my condolences, I hate dieting too.
Yeah, you did. Sorry…You went on to talk about topping up the float every time the level of the liquid descended, so I got sidetracked and figured you were focusing on the diminution of the foam, rather then the avoidance of a heavy head to begin with. Whereas I find the slow-pour to be the main event in the production of a reasonable float.
Similar ice cream/soda combo’s. (Ukulele Ike already has other and better recipes, but here goes…)
Brown Cow
Root beer float with chocolate ice cream. (Ukulele Ike said it’s with Coke. Around here that would be a Coke Float. Go fig.)
Purple Cow
Vanilla ice cream and grape soda. (Oddly, not as disgusting as it sounds. One of Soupo’s favorites.)
Red Cow
Vanilla ice cream and Red Pop. (“Red Pop” is strawberry soda. It might be called something else at a store near you. Also not as disgusting as it sounds.)
You’ve been told to pour slowly, but has anyone mentioned tilting the frosted mug? It keeps the root beer (Barq’s is good if you can get it, and it has caffeine) from slamming into the ice cream so hard. Less foam to slurp.
Slowly lowering the ice cream into the root beer also helps, but you don’t get them mixed so well that way. If you can keep the ice cream on the spoon till it’s submerged in the root beer, you get the least foam possible.
-Rue.
And to add to the panopoly of nontraditional floats, the Verbors Float: vanilla ice cream and Vernors ginger ale.
It has to be Vernors, and is actually quite good.
[note to self]When trying to make a root beer float, does the difference in specific density between regular and diet root beer make one float more easily than the other? Put on list for bath tub experiment.[/note to self]
Well, I just spent the day in the sun filling and moving sand bags (evenly weighting dragon boats for a race festival next weekend), so I’m down a few quarts and feel like a treat. Let’s go see what’s in the fridge. . .
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Back again. Found some Lime Crush and a tub of Merla Mae Vanilla Ice Cream (the creamiest ice cream I have ever come across). Let’s give it a whirl.
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Had to fight off the cat while the float was doing the Vesuvius thing. The cat loves ice cream, but took off once he got a whiff of the lime.
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OK, everything is under control. All foam inhaled without any sinus problems. I can’t say much for the look of the concoction – green as a radioactive swamp with white blobs of heaven knows what floating about, but it sure tastes great! Cream lime soda!!! Mmmmmm! Life is good! Thanks, Fenris, for floating the idea. The next time I’ll have to try it with real lemon/limeaid, soda water and Merla Mae (I love to make my own lemon/limeaid – even have a jucier just for the task).
I’m with you here, bud. I always thought the foam was the purpose of the root beer float.
Gosh, all this talk about ice cream floats and no one has mentioned my favorite!
Vanilla Ice Cream and Orange Soda
It tastes just like the Creamsicles I used to get off of the Ice Cream Truck as a lad.
soda water, vanilla syrup, orange and vanilla icecream-
Ballerina Soda and my personal favorite.
Well, that and chocolate ice cream in soda water with raspberry syrup and chocolate whipped cream.
If you’re in Pittsburgh, you MUST go to Klavon’s. If there is ever a Pittsburgh Dope Fest again, it WILL be held there.