Root Beer Floats Are Go-To Treats on National Ice Cream Day!

Kirsten Gilliam
Root Beer Floats Are Go-To Treats on National Ice Cream Day!

Houston eateries are, ahem, rooting for an old-fashioned take on cool treats this National Ice Cream Day, which is Sunday, July 19!


FM Kitchen & Bar on Shepherd — a popular neighborhood bar and restaurant known for cool cocktails, craft beers, burgers, and locally sourced comfort food — is pitching root beer floats made with Houston-made Saint Arnold’s Root Beer. The frothy, ice-creamy beverage, also known as a Brown Cow or Black Cow, can be made not only with the local brewery’s bubbly beverage, but also Mexican Coco-Cola and Mexican Fanta. Available for both dine-in and curbside, the floats go for $6 each.

Of course, the traditional Texas favorite float also remains on the menu at The Burger Joint, Fat Cat Creamery and Good Dog locations, all of which also source St. Arnold’s root beer.

At the same time, Ariana Quant, head pastry chef of Uchi parent company Hai Hospitality, has an idea for a make-it-yourself new spin on root beer floats — root beer granita. The recipe is simple. First make a simple syrup by bringing a quarter cup each of sugar and water to a boil and letting it cool slightly before adding three 12-ounce bottles of root beer. (We’re recommending St. Arnold’s naturally.) Then pour it into a glass pan, freeze it and use a fork to scrape it into little crystals. Serve it topped with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

At the restaurant, Uchi is featuring a decidedly fancier affair — coconut-lychee sorbet — to mark National Ice Cream Day. The frozen confection will be accompanied with blueberries pickled in Calamansi vinegar.

AT TOP: FM Kitchen & Bar

Food
What’s the Secret to Biz Success? ‘Show Up with Kindness,’ Says Bianca Bucaram

How did you get to where you are today? Passion, persistence, and faith, and a little bit of luck. I graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Political Science and Spanish, on the track to be pre-med. Little did I know that a journey to help my younger sister would set my course to sail in PR. I had no background in communication, except my raw talent, and was fortunate enough to have a family member who needed her story to be told! I was helping tell my younger sister (one of the most recognized influencers in the online vegan community) @fullyrawkristina’s story, and it all blossomed from there.

Keep Reading Show less

The shiny new Dr. Jack Express electric locomotive

JUST IN TIME for a long weekend — and a teeny reprieve from triple-digit temps — Hermann Park Conservancy has announced it will offer free train rides from Aug. 31-Sept. 6 to celebrate a pair of new locomotives.

Keep Reading Show less
People + Places

Refreshing bites at Bloom & Bee; the famous French onion soup at Artisans (photo by Shane Dante)

THIS SUMMER HAS been uniquely brutal for the hospitality industry, with devastating losses from the derecho and Beryl. But a bright spot for many has been Houston Restaurant Weeks, the annual August event that gives foodies and restaurants alike a jolt of energy.

Keep Reading Show less
Food