Root Beer Float Shake with Root Beer Reduction & Foamy Top

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A soda-fountain float and a hand-spun shake in one glass. Two cups of root beer are simmered down to a dark, sarsaparilla-scented syrup so the shake tastes like root beer instead of just brown vanilla, then a splash of cold soda goes over the top to build that classic tan foam cap. Thick enough to hold a straw upright, and no ice cream maker or fancy gear required.

Ingredients

• 2 cups good-quality root beer (cane sugar, not diet)
• 1 tsp molasses (not blackstrap)
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 1 pint good vanilla bean ice cream
• 1/4 cup whole milk, very cold
• 2 tbsp malted milk powder (optional, for a malt)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup cold root beer, for floating
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
• 2 maraschino cherries with stems

Instructions

1. Pour the 2 cups root beer into a wide 2-quart saucepan (wide is better — it reduces faster) and stir in the molasses and salt. It will foam up at first; let the foam settle before you turn on the heat.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a steady medium simmer. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, swirling occasionally, until reduced to a scant 1/3 cup and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon in a syrupy film. Watch it closely after the 10-minute mark — sugar syrups go from perfect to burnt in under a minute. If it starts smelling sharp or smoky, pull it off.
3. Scrape the reduction into a small heatproof bowl or metal measuring cup and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes, or the refrigerator for 25, until completely cold. Warm syrup will melt your shake instantly. Meanwhile, put two 16-ounce glasses in the freezer to frost.
4. Take the ice cream out of the freezer and let it sit on the counter for 8 to 10 minutes, until a spoon presses in with mild resistance. Softening it slightly means you can blend on low and keep the shake thick instead of thinning it with extra milk.
5. Add the cold milk, 3 tablespoons of the chilled root beer reduction, the malted milk powder if using, and the vanilla to a blender. Scoop in the softened ice cream last.
6. Blend on low in 3 to 4 short pulses of about 5 seconds each, stopping to push the ice cream down with a spatula (blender off). Stop as soon as it is smooth and pourable-thick, roughly 20 to 30 seconds of total blending. Over-blending warms and deflates it.
7. Drizzle a little of the remaining reduction down the inside of each frosted glass, then divide the shake between them, filling to about an inch below the rim.
8. Slowly pour 1/4 cup cold root beer over the back of a spoon into each glass so it slides down the side and blooms into a tan, creamy foam cap. Top with a spoonful of whipped cream and a cherry, and serve immediately with both a straw and a long spoon.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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