National Root Beer Float Day is a holiday that falls on August 6th and is designed to celebrate the frothy goodness of a drink that features an ice-cold root beer with a plop of ice cream in the middle of it. This drink, also colloquially known as a Black Cow, has been around since the end of the 19th century.

And that makes it a drink that has not only been enjoyed for the past 146+ years but is also one that’s probably going to be enjoyed for another 146 years.

The History Of The Root Beer Float

Since we were unable to discover the origins of National Root Beer Float Day, we thought we’d delve into the history of the root beer float. According to historians, the root beer float was invented by Robert McCay Green in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1874.

As the story goes, Mr. Green had just run out of ice for his flavored drinks one day, so he decided to use vanilla ice cream that he sourced from a neighboring vendor. Little did he know that he was not only dealing with the particular problem of not having ice at the time but was also creating a new drink sensation.

Variations On The Root Beer Float

Of course, as is the case with anything that’s been successful for any length of time, there are bound to be imitators. And as far as the root beer float is concerned, there are a lot of different imitators. Below are some of the variations on this tasty drink that have developed over time.

The Coke Float

One of the biggest variations on the root beer float is the Coke float. The Coke float was invented after World War II and became almost as popular as the root beer float. Later on, a variation of this drink—the Pepsi float—would also become popular.

The Snow White

Another variation of this drink is called the Snow White. This drink is basically a Sprite, 7-Up, or some other type of clear lemon-lime soda topped with a scoop of ice cream.

The Purple Cow

Another root beer float variation is the Purple Cow. This drink is made using vanilla ice cream and purple grape soda.

The Red Dragon

Yet another variation on this classic drink is called the Red Dragon. This drink consists of a scoop of orange sherbet placed in a glass of either strawberry soda or Big Red soda.

Celebrating National Root Beer Float Day

Celebrating this holiday is easy and all it entails is enjoying this delicious beverage. This means that a person can enjoy a root beer float, or one of its many variations, by themselves or with friends and family. They can even throw a root beer float party.

After a person makes their favorite root beer float, they can then take a picture of it and post it on social media using the hashtag #NationalRootBeerFloatDay. This will allow everyone to get in on the fun and enjoy this frothy drink.