National Root Beer Float Day

National Root Beer Float Day History

National Root Beer Float Day, is a day of enjoyment and appreciation of an iconic American cold drink: the root beer float. Known as the "Black Cow," the unique concoction mixes root beer and creamy vanilla ice cream which results in a delightful beverage famous for its frothy top.

The root beer float was supposedly created in 1893 by Frank J. Wisner of Cripple Creek, Colorado. One evening, Wisner, owner of the Cripple Creek Cow Mountain Gold Mining Company, was struck by the idea of creating a dessert that looked like the snowy peaks of Cow Mountain. He decided to combine root beer and a dollop of vanilla ice cream, thus creating a soon-to-be-beloved drink.

Today, National Root Beer Float Day is not only about savoring the beverage, but it also serves as a tool for many businesses and organizations to raise funds for charitable causes. Throughout the day, many establishments offer free or discounted root beer floats and encourage customers to make a donation. This cordial combination of enjoying a refreshing drink while supporting a worthy cause makes National Root Beer Float Day an event worth marking on your calendar, especially as it occurs at the peak of summer, on August 6.

National Root Beer Float Day facts

• The creator of root beer float, Frank J. Wisner, named it originally Black Cow Mountain, but local children shortened it to Black Cow.
• The number one brand of root beer in America is A&W. According to rootbeerrespect, the root beer company got its start in 1922 when Roy Allen partnered with Frank Wright, hence the name A&W.
• A single root beer float from an A&W restaurant has about 331 calories.
• Root beer float used to have a small amount of alcohol content, due to being brewed from variety of plants. However, during the prohibition it became the carbonated non-alcoholic drink we know today.

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Top things to do for National Root Beer Float Day

• Visit an ice cream parlor and order a root beer float. They may be offering special deals to celebrate the day.
• Make your own root beer float. Check out this recipe for a bubbly root beer dessert.
• Try different variations of a root beer float. Some examples are a green giant which uses Sprite with lime sherbet, a purple cow which uses grape soda, and a sherbet cooler which uses seltzer water.