# Ice Cream Floats - Coke vs. Root Beer **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [July 6, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358 "2015-07-06T00:12:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/21 "2015-07-06T10:31:31Z")
I don’t like root beer, so I picked Coke. However, the last few times I ordered a float at an ice cream shop, I got Sprite + grape ice cream. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/22 "2015-07-06T12:14:33Z")
Growing up we only ever had vanilla ice cream in Coke (and called it a “black cow”). It was very infrequent. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/23 "2015-07-06T12:32:16Z")
With Ginger ale, for me too! We called it a spider growing up. Haven’t had one or thought about it in ages. We loved them. (But we never had cola or root beer in our house, so we never went in that direction!) ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/24 "2015-07-06T12:37:59Z")
Voted root beer. We call them spiders, not floats. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/25 "2015-07-06T12:49:28Z")
Root beer, gross. Coke, gross. Carbonated Hi-C, gross! Dr Pepper, yum! ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/26 "2015-07-06T13:14:29Z")
Root beer is the standard, of course. I’d never even heard of a Coke float until I opened this thread. But my favorite is a float made with [Manhattan Special](https://www.manhattanspecial.com/products_pure_espresso.html). ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/27 "2015-07-06T13:15:15Z")
I’ve never heard of using 7-up or Sprite for a float before. This sounds…intriguing… ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/28 "2015-07-06T13:17:27Z")
No coke floats for me. It’s root beer or Vernors Ginger Ale over vanilla. I’m a bit of a purist that way. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/29 "2015-07-06T14:16:00Z")
[quote=“terentii, post:4, topic:724358”] Isn’t cola over ice cream known as a Black Cow? :dubious: It was until [this](http://www.hometownfavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/AMCA2025_hfca2025_2_3.jpg)came along! ☹ (Since I hate making people link-chase to what someone is talking about… the above is just a picture of a candy called Black Cow. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/30 "2015-07-06T14:58:24Z")
I hate root beer, so I had to vote for Coke. On the other hand, my FAVORITE float of all mixes Belgian chocolate with Dr. Pepper. Vanilla with 7-Up or Sprite is mighty good too. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/31 "2015-07-06T15:32:46Z")
I like a Dr. Pepper float. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/32 "2015-07-06T16:39:24Z")
Black cherry soda over vanilla ice cream. A childhood favorite!! ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Woodhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Miss\_Woodhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Woodhouse)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/33 "2015-07-06T16:45:19Z")
What I have most often is a root beer float. What I prefer is orange soda with vanilla ice cream. Lemon lime soda and a lime sherbet is very good as well. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/34 "2015-07-06T16:53:33Z")
Root beer and I don’t like each other, so that’s out. I like a cola-and-ice-cream float, but growing up we always made them with RC Cola, so one made with Coca Cola just never tastes quite right. I served RC-and-ice cream floats for July 4th this year, and after the initial surprise that they weren’t root beer, everyone appeared to enjoy them. Since Dr. P is my carbonated beverage of choice, I will mos def have to try a float made with the good Dr. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/35 "2015-07-06T18:49:47Z")
> [@Honey](#): > > Wait! You worked at a McD’s where the orange Hi-C was carbonated? None of them around here have carbonated Hi-C. Sorry, just caught this. It was typo. Of course I meant that it was UN-carbonated. So it wasn’t a classic “float” maybe w/ the fizz, but it was damned tasty. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/36 "2015-07-06T19:14:56Z")
Has anyone here ever had a Moxie float? It is amazing! If you are ever near Lisbon Falls, Maine, check out the Moxie store. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/37 "2015-07-06T21:03:30Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Isn’t cola over ice cream known as a Black Cow? :dubious: > > Seven-Up over ice cream is great. Three different beasts, all good IMHO! Not where I’m from. A black cow is root beer and vanilla ice cream. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/38 "2015-07-06T21:06:38Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > Not where I’m from. A black cow is root beer and vanilla ice cream. Surely that would be a BROWN Cow? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/39 "2015-07-06T21:29:59Z")
I grew up with coke floats, but root beer floats are also good. At weddings and bar mitzvahs, my Jewish relatives will have one table with beer and wine, and another table with a punch bowl filled with fruit sherbet and either Sprite or ginger ale. ---
**Author:** ![allyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@allyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/allyn)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358/40 "2015-07-06T21:45:38Z")
I recently had an orange soda float (Sunkist soda I think) and liked it better than I thought I would. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-floats-coke-vs-root-beer/724358.md?page=3)