Frosted Orange Creamsicle Float

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A soda-fountain classic done right: freezer-frosted glasses and ice-cold orange soda hit vanilla ice cream so hard it erupts into a thick, foamy cap instead of sliding into orange soup. A whisper of orange zest and real vanilla in the scoop makes it taste like the creamsicle you remember, not the one from the box.

Ingredients

• 4 scoop premium vanilla bean ice cream (about 1 pint)
• 24 oz orange soda, ice cold (2 cans or bottles)
• 1 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 1/2 cup heavy cream, cold
• 2 tsp powdered sugar
• 2 strips orange peel, for garnish
• 2 maraschino cherries (optional)

Instructions

1. At least 30 minutes ahead (2 hours is better), rinse two 16-ounce glasses with cold water, shake off the excess, and stand them upright in the freezer. The thin film of water freezes into a frost layer that keeps the ice cream from melting on contact.
2. Put the unopened cans or bottles of orange soda in the coldest part of the refrigerator, or bury them in an ice-and-water bath for 20 minutes. You want the soda at 34–38°F — barely above freezing. Warm soda is the single biggest reason floats collapse.
3. Scoop the ice cream while it is still hard from the freezer: soften the pint on the counter for no more than 3 minutes, then form 4 tight, round scoops and set them on a chilled plate in the freezer. Compact scoops foam more and last longer than soft, loose ones.
4. Stir the orange zest, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt together in a small bowl. Let it sit 5 minutes so the zest oils bloom into the vanilla.
5. Whip the cold heavy cream with the powdered sugar in a chilled bowl, by hand or with a mixer, to soft peaks — 1 to 2 minutes. Keep it refrigerated until serving.
6. Pull the frosted glasses from the freezer. Spoon half the zest-vanilla mixture into the bottom of each glass, then pour in about 3 ounces of the cold soda and swirl to dissolve.
7. Add 2 scoops of ice cream to each glass, then pour the remaining soda down the inside wall of the glass in a slow, steady stream, tilting the glass slightly. Pause when the foam rises to the rim, let it settle for 10 seconds, then top off. You should get a dense two-inch head of orange foam.
8. Crown each float with a spoonful of whipped cream, twist a strip of orange peel over the top to release its oil, and add a cherry. Serve immediately with a long spoon and a straw.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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