My very first date with my husband we decided to go out for floats. But when we got to the restaurant they told us they didn”t serve floats. My husband (who was not yet my boyfriend) said “Do you have pop?” “Yes.” “Do you have ice cream?” “Yes.” And, magically floats appeared before us. I knew I had to nab him up quick. If the man can get me what I want, when I want it, what more do I need? :) That was the day that we started down this merry path together and I”m so glad we did.

We”re really trying to cut back on our pop (a.k.a. soda) consumption (Pepsi, how I love you) so floats don”t happen as much in our house anymore. I remember being so excited when we had them as kids (Root Beer and Orange were my favourite). So when I saw the idea for lemonade floats in one of my favourite cookbooks. I got so excited. What a great idea for all these warm days we”ve been having!

This recipe is quite flexible. Feel free to just go with the idea and adapt it to your preference. You could use your favourite lemonade recipe or purchased brand (although I love the double dose of lemon imparted by the lemon peel in this recipe). You could try switching it up with Strawberry Lemonade or dressing it up with sparkling wine instead of club soda. Whatever you choose it is a refreshing (not low cal) beverage for those hot summer days approaching.

Sparkling Lemonade Floats

  • 1/2-3/4 cup sugar (1/2 for tart, 3/4 for sweet)*

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 1/4 cup lemon peel strips (from 2 lemons)

  • 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)

  • 1 cup cold water

  • vanilla ice cream

  • club soda or sparkling wine, chilled

  1. Stir together sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir in lemon strips. Simmer for five minutes. Allow to cool. Stir in lemon juice. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove strips and pulp. Stir in 1 cup cold water. Refrigerate to cool completely.

  2. To make floats: Scoop ice cream into glasses. Pour lemonade 1/2 to 3/4 full. Top with club soda. Garnish with lemon slices if desired. Serve immediately.

Serves: 4-6 (depending on glass size)

*For this recipe I definitely prefer the lemonade on the tarter side because you”ll be adding more sweetness with the ice cream. But it really depends on your personal preference.

Lemonade recipe adapted from Taste of Home. Floats inspired by Sugar.