This Creamy Cola Bev Is Going to Win the Super Bowl Party, Even if Your Team Doesn’t

When’s the last time you had a Coke float? I mean, not to diminish your life experience or tell you your business, but … I’d venture to guess there’s a chance you’ve never had a Coke float. A root beer float? Sure, but there’s something daring about switching it up and using Coke or your cola of choice as the fizzy vehicle for a creamy scoop of vanilla ice cream. Coke is even attempting to popularize the concept by releasing a canned version of a cherry Coke float—but before you try theirs, make your own at home. I have some ideas about how to improve upon it for your Super Bowl party—and booze it up if you’d like.

What’s the drink? And why are you being so secretive about it?

I’m not! Relax. Here’s the rundown of ingredients:

Cherry cola (or regular cola + cherry syrup)

Vanilla ice cream (Sporked recommends Haagen-Dazs Vanilla)

A splash of vanilla cream soda (Sporked recommends Boylans)

Whipped cream (Sporked recommends Great Value) + maraschino cherry (Sporked recommends Barsmith Cocktail Cherries for these purposes)

You’re gonna want tall glasses for this (at least 16oz), but construction is simple. Fill your glass about half way with cherry cola or regular cola and a couple dashes of cherry syrup or grenadine. Add a splash of vanilla cream soda for a little extra roundness and bite, then add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Top it all off with whipped cream and a cherry. If the game isn’t going your way, defeat is going to taste much sweeter with one of these in your hand.

What about the boozy version?

Yeah, that’s easy. There are a few liquors that would taste great in this, but something with notes of vanilla is best. We recommend vanilla vodka or spiced rum—in fact, we recently found the best spiced rum in a taste test. It’s tasty and affordable. Doesn’t get better than that.

About the Author

Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks. Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown. What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction. Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home. Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.