August 6th is National Root Beer Float Day: a type of ice cream float (a.k.a. ice cream soda) that combines ice cream, usually chocolate or vanilla, with root beer.

Just place a couple of scoops of ice cream in a tall glass, add the root beer, and serve with a straw and a long spoon (photo #1). Yum!

You can do this with any flavor ice cream and any coordinating soda. There are some ideas below.
 
 
ICE CREAM FLOAT HISTORY

Credit for the invention of the ice cream float was invented by Robert McCay Green, operator of a soda fountain in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the era before bottled soft drinks, a soda fountain was a place where people would stop by for a fresh-jerked soda.

The “soda jerk” would add syrup to a glass, then jerk the handle of the soda water [carbonated water] tap. The pressure blended the soda, although a swirl with a spoon finished the job.

Green wanted to create something special to compete with a larger, fancier soda fountain down the street. His brainstorm: a combination of vanilla ice cream and soda water with a choice of 16 different flavored syrups. He called it an “ice cream soda.”

A variation of the story is that, on one hot day, Green ran out of ice for his soda fountain drinks and used vanilla ice cream from a neighboring vendor, has been put to rest by his own account, published in Soda Fountain magazine in 1910 (source).

Alas, in those days small business owners were not trademark-oriented, and the competitors soon knocked him off.

As the ice cream soda soda concept took off, different fountain syrups were used: birch beer, cola root beer and fruit-flavored soft drinks.

Bottled soft drinks became broadly available by 1950, enabling consumers to mix and match their own floats. Some examples of the variety:

 
Floats are often topped with whipped cream, and may have garnishes from cherries to chocolate shavings.

 
 
HOW ABOUT AN ALCOHOLIC FLOAT?

Add an ounce or two of your favorite spirit, and have as much liqueur. One of our favorites: banana ice cream, vanilla soda, rum and banana liqueur.

[3] Guinness Float. Here’s the recipe for the float, plus homemade stout ice cream (photo courtesy Silver Moon Ice Cream).

 
 
THE HISTORY OF ROOT BEER

Modern soft drinks would not exist, had carbonated water not been invented. Here’s the history of carbonated water, which was first sold commercially in the late 1700s; and the debut dates of early soft drinks.

Root beer, at least in its earliest, non-carbonated form, long predates carbonation.

Emigrants to the New World found Native Americans drinking beverages made of sassafras root and sarsaparilla vine, for culinary and medicinal reasons American culture.

By the 16th century, colonists were using European culinary techniques to create it, and other root- and herb-based beverages.

Ingredients could include, among others, allspice, birch bark, burdock root, dandelion root, coriander, juniper, ginger, hops, licorice, molasses, sarsaparilla, sassafras root, vanilla beans, wild cherry bark and wintergreen.

Today, the root commonly used is the root bark of the sassafras tree (Sassafras albidum) or the sarsaparilla vine (Smilax ornata).

With the spread of soda water/carbonated water in the early 19th century, the technique was applied to these traditional beverages. Sweet syrups were the foundation of soda fountains, and it was combined with soda water as early as the 1850s.

Drinks like root beer were also sold as “tonics,” for their perceived medicinal qualities. The syrup was added to a glass, topped with carbonated water and given a brief stir.

While traditional root beer was indeed made from sassafras tree roots, modern commercially produced root beer typically does not contain any sassafras root. In 1960, the FDA banned sassafras oil due to an ingredient, safrole, which was shown to be carcinogenic in rats.

This led to the use of artificial flavorings in most commercially produced root beer. Artisan brands use extracts from which the safrolehas been removed.

Modern, commercially-produced root beer (and other sodas) is typically sweet, foamy, carbonated, nonalcoholic, and flavored with artificial* sassafras oil (source).

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*Sassafras root is still used to flavor traditional root beer. However, sassafras is no longer used in commercially-produced root beer since 1960, when it was banned by the FDA for use in commercially mass-produced foods and drugs. There were health concerns, highly controversial, about the carcinogenicity of safrole, a major constituent of sassafras oil, in animal studies. Some small-batch root beers do use a safrole-free sassafras extract.
  

[2] Buy one or two sets of ice pop molds. You can use them to freeze juice, including vegetable juice for a savory snack . These are from FumCare.

August 6th is National Root Beer Float Day. For something even colder, try this food fun: Root Beer Float Ice Pops.

Active prep time is 15 minutes, plus freezing.
 
RECIPE: ROOT BEER FLOAT ICE POPS

Ingredients For 6 Pops

 
Preparation

1. SOFTEN the ice cream slightly on the counter, 5 minutes or so. Then fill the tip of each mold with about 2½ tablespoons of ice cream, packing the ice cream down firmly. Place in the freezer to set until the ice cream is firm again, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile…

2. BRING the root beer to a low simmer in a medium saucepan, whisking to help remove the carbonation. Simmer gently until there are no remaining carbonation bubbles, about 5 minutes (new bubbles will be caused around the edge of the liquid the process of simmering). Allow to cool.

3. REMOVE the molds from freezer. Pour about 2 ounces of root beer into each mold. To reduce foaming, it’s best to slowly pour the root beer down the inside wall of the mold, and not straight on top of the ice cream.

4. LET the root beer settle a moment. Then top the molds with the lids, and insert the sticks or handles.

4. FREEZE until solid, at least 8 hours or overnight.

5. SERVE: Unmold the pops by running the molds under water for about 60 seconds (or follow manufacturer’s directions).

August 3rd is National Watermelon Day.

Ready for some sweet, juicy melon? Here are tips for picking the best of the bunch.

TIPS TO CHOOSE A MELON

1. Look for a stemless melon, with a slight indentation on the stem end. If the melon still has a stem, it could mean that it was picked before it was ripe. Once a watermelon is picked from the vine, it stops ripening. A melon should be ripened on the vine until its stem detaches naturally.

2. Choose a uniform shape. Odd bumps and curves may have “personality,” but can mean that the melon did not have consistent sun and/or water. Press the skin of in different spots to test for firmness.

3. Don’t worry if it’s dull. Some growers process their melons to put an attractive shine on—the equivalent of waxing an apple. A dull melon is perfectly fine.

4. Pick a deep green skin. The skin should be a rich green color with a smooth texture. This indicates an even amount of sun.

5. Check the “field spot.” This is the creamy yellow spot on the bottom of the melon, showing where it was resting on the ground. It indicates that the melon had the time it needed to sweeten in the sun. If the melon is green all over, avoid it: That often indicates a melon that was picked before ripening. A white spot on the bottom is better than no spot.

6. Heavy in the hand. Compare the melon’s weight with one of similar size, and pick the heavier one. Produce Pete advises this test with any fruit.

7. Give it a good slap. Hold the watermelon in one hand, then slap it with your palm or thump it with your knuckles (this is called a “knuckle rap”). Listen for a melon that sounds full, which has been described as “more like a tenor than a bass.” The bass indicates a condition known as hollow heart.

8. Buy from a good retailer. As you’ve no doubt noticed, fruit quality can vary from seller to seller. A better retailer tends to spend for better produce, so the retail price may be slightly higher. If you see melons at very low prices, they may indicate lower quality.
 
MORE MELON TIPS

Chilling the melon before serving enhances its flavor on the palate. It’s better to slice it first, then chill.

If the melon lacks the sweetness you seek, here are some fixes:

[2] Yellow watermelon is more available these days. The ones we’ve had have been super-sweet (photo courtesy DP Seeds)

 
HOW LONG HAS MAN CULTIVATED WATERMELON?

The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5,000 years ago, in Egypt. Check out the history of watermelon.

We end with a quote from Mark Twain: When one has tasted watermelon, he knows what the angels eat.
  

[2] Getting creative: an ice cream sandwich with churros, at Boqueria | Brooklyn. Make churro dough, roll it into lengths and wind/swirl them. Then, bake churro cookies (photo © Boqueria Restaurant).

[3] Strawberry shortcake sandwiches, made with whoopie pie-shaped “shortcake” by David Venable | QVC (photo © QVC).

[4] Who needs cookies? You can use granola, other breakfast cereals, or hybrids like Rice Krispie Treats (photo © Pillsbury).

August 2nd is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, so our tip is: Make ice cream sandwiches!

You can do much better than the ones you enjoyed childhood, those inexpensive rectangles of vanilla ice cream covered with very thin slices of chocolate wafer, which became sticky from the moisture of the ice cream.

If you still eat ice cream sandwiches today, they’re likely more of artisan varieties, made in many flavors and more importantly, sandwiched by quality cookies and cookie substitutes. See the options below; but first, take a bite of:

> The history of ice cream.

> The year’s 50+ ice cream holidays.

> The different types of frozen desserts: a photo glossary.

> More creative ice cream sandwich recipes, below.
 
 
ICE CREAM SANDWICH HISTORY

According to an article in The New York Tribune in July 1900, the ice cream sandwich was created in 1899 by an unnamed pushcart peddler in the Bowery neighborhood of New York City. Vanilla ice cream was pressed between two graham wafers.

His customers comprised everyone from shoe shine boys to stockbrokers. The pushcart vendor was so busy pressing ice cream into a tin mold to order, that he didn’t have time to make change. Customers had to pay the exact price of one cent.

The treat was revolutionary: hand-held and portable ice cream, no dish and spoon required. The ice cream cone, which also first appeared in New York City, had not yet taken hold (here’s the ice cream cone history).

An earlier portable ice cream treat, without the cookies, was sold in London by Italian street vendors.

A slice of vanilla ice cream was cut from a large slab and wrapped in a piece of paper. It was known as an “okey-pokey,” the English adaptation of the vendors’ call, “O che poco,” Italian for “Oh, how little [money].” (The name gave way to the Hokey Pokey song.)

By 1905, ice cream sandwiches had made it to other locations, including the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.

It is often written that the version we know, the vanilla ice cream rectangle sandwiched with chocolate wafers, was invented in 1945 by Jerry Newberg, an ice cream vendor at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. He no doubt sold them.

However, some people who did deep research have debunked this allegation, and attest that the familiar vanilla rectangular surrounded by “sticky chocolate wafers” first appeared in the early 1900s (it can be seen in photos).

However, 1945 is still noteworthy in ice cream sandwich history: In that year, the first ice cream sandwiches were mass produced.

Today the frozen treat is made in many shapes (photo #1) including Mickey Mouse and other novelty designs, and is enjoyed all over the world in local flavors.
 
 
THE FIRST “GOURMET” ICE CREAM SANDWICH

Here and there, people may have sandwiched ice cream and cookies at home; but the first mass-produced specialty ice cream sandwich, the Chipwich, was launched in 1978.

This “gourmet” ice cream sandwich placed vanilla ice cream between two large chocolate chip cookies, and covered the exposed sides of the ice cream with mini chocolate chips.

It was created by a New York lawyer, Richard LaMotta, who launched it via street carts in upscale neighborhoods of Manhattan. Some 25,000 Chipwiches were sold the first day, and became a local craze. Within two weeks the company was selling 40,000 a day.

The concept was exciting; but alas, the brand went downhill. In 2002, in financial straits, the company was sold to a larger company and the quality declined. It was subsequently discontinued. Here’s more about it.

But Chipwich now has a new life. The trademark was bought by entrepreneurs, who have recently relaunched the brand, starting in the Northeast. Find them in a store near you.
 
 
BEYOND THE CHIPWICH

The success of the Chipwich in the late 1970s inspired restaurateurs and folks at home to create their own variations.
 
The concept was taken much further. Today, you can find (or make!) just about any flavor of ice cream, frozen yogurt or sorbet, with vastly expanded “sandwich materials”:

…baklava, brioche, brownies and blondies, cake, caramel corn, chocolate bars, chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate pancakes, churros, cinnamon rolls, croissants, cupcakes…

…donuts, frozen waffles, s’mores, Pop Tarts, raisin bread toast, whoopie pies and even breakfast cereals like Corn Flakes, granola and Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles. Plus:

GARNISHES: The chocolate chips that garnished the Chipwich ice cream has expanded to dried fruits, granola, mini M&Ms and other small or crushed candies (like striped peppermints), Oreo crumbs, nuts, sprinkles and toffee chips.

LAYERS: Beyond just ice cream and cookies, you can add dessert sauces, jam or preserves, or fruits before the top cookie is placed. Try a layer of caramel or fudge, or brandy-soaked cherries.

So what are you going to do today?

Pick up your favorite ice cream and favorite “outer,” and make ice cream sandwiches! For inspiration:
 
 
MORE ICE CREAM SANDWICH RECIPES: SOME MODERN IDEAS

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] An IPA and some of the hops (at left) used to brew it (photo courtesy Homebrewers Association).

[2] The “official” IPA glass designed by Spielgau, a subsidiary of Riedel, known for designing glassware that best shows off a particular style of beer or type of wine. Here’s more about it (photo courtesy KegWorks).

[3] Hops grow on vinrd that are trained to grow tall like these—note the truck at the bottom of the vines (photo courtesy Rogue Ales).

[4] American craft brewers are known for their creative—some say cheeky—names for their beers. Here’s an IPA from California’s Stone Brewing Co.

August 1st is National IPA Day, a celebration of India Pale Ale (photo #1), America’s fastest-growing category of craft beer. It’s so hot that Spielgau has developed a special IPA glass (photo #2) to best show off its flavors and aromas.

India Pale Ale is a highly-hopped beer style within the broader category of pale ale, a category that originally referred to an ale that had been brewed with pale malt.

India Pale Ale is not a beer created in India; but was created in England for Brits living in India. Here’s the scoop.
 
THE HISTORY OF IPA

The history of IPA, a 19th-century creation, begins in ancient times.

Beer has been brewed since before written history. Archaeologists date it to around the 6th millennium B.C.E. The oldest known recipe found to date is one for brewing beer, found on stone tablets in Sumer, in southern Mesopotamia.

The “fertile crescent” or “cradle of civilization” between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers was the original area for much cultivation of hitherto wild foods, and much food innovation. Today, the area includes modern Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and southwestern Iran.

By 4000 B.C.E., the Babylonians were brewing at least sixteen varieties of beer (when you see all of the different styles in this glossary, you won’t be surprised at that number). The Pharaohs of Egypt paid their workers with jugs of beer (later, the Romans would pay their legions in salt, leaving us with the phrase, “worth his salt” rather than “worth his beer”) (source).

Beer is the third most-frequently-consumed beverage in the world, after water and tea. For those of you who have never been exactly clear on the difference between all the beer types—ale, pale ale, bock, pilsner, and lager (only that you’re happy to drink them all)—check out our Beer Glossary, a tutorial in the types of beer.
 
THE IPA STYLE DEVELOPS

The pale ales of the early 18th century were lightly hopped, but by the mid-18th century they evolved; most were manufactured with coke-fired malt, which produced an even paler ale via less smoking and roasting of barley in the malting process.

In the 19th century, the British living in the Indian Empire drank ale from England, largely because the Indian water supply had microbes that caused digestive problems to humans not raised on it.

But not all beer could hold up on the long journey in a hot ship’s hold. IPA had the level of alcohol (7%-8%) and hops (which act as a preservative) to withstand the voyage of up to six months. (Today, of course, transportation problems have been solved and there’s plenty of bottled water for travelers in foreign lands.)

Demand for a pale ale that could withstand the voyage and the heat en route to India became known as India Pale Ale.

Developed in England around 1840 for the export market, it later became a popular brew at home.

Originally a very highly alcoholic beer to preserve it at sea, the IPA style has evolved (or devolved, in the case of British IPAs) to 5.5% ABV†), but are still highly hopped.

Double IPAs, also called Imperial IPAs, are a stronger, very hoppy and high-alcohol IPA style; the beers typically have alcohol content above 7.5% A.B.V.
 
 
IPA IN THE USA

While trending now, IPAs have long been brewed in the U.S. American IPAs are characterized by their hops, with a floral, fruity, citrus-like, piney or resinous American-variety hop character. The American IPAs are all about hop flavor, hop aroma and hop bitterness.

Instead of floral and spicy European hops, American hops, grown in the Pacific Northwest, provide distinctively different flavor notes, such as:

 
There are many different hops from which brewers can choose, for not just IPA but all styles of beer.

In addition to Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other areas grow still more species of hops. Here’s more about them.

Within a category even as narrow as American IPA, different styles can be achieved by using different brewing techniques, particular strains of yeast, varieties of hops, the timing of adding the hops, and adjusting the chemistry of the water, and more.

Among American IPA brewers, three main styles have evolved. Although the style has become popular in the region, it need not be brewed in that region. Nor must any brewer in a particular region subscribe to a particular style.

 
And now, the Milkshake IPA! Really!

This new style introduces lactose‡ into the brewing process, often with the addition of a fruit and a vanilla bean. It has a lighter appearance and a thicker body—hazy like New England IPAs. The biggest difference between the two is the addition of lactose.

Why not celebrate National IPA Day—the first Thursday in August—with one of each of these IPAs, plus an English IPA to honor where they all began.

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*For hop enthusiasts: American hops include, among others, Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Citra, Columbus, Neomexicanus, Nugget, Simcoe, Tomahawk, Warrior. New varieties are always under development.

†A.B.V. is Alcohol By Volume, the percentage of alcohol in a product—beer, liqueur, spirits, etc. You double the A.B.V. to get the proof. For example, a 5% A.B.V. beer is 10 proof.

‡Lactose is a non-fermentable sugar derived from milk, that adds sweetness and body to beer. It has traditionally been used as an ingredient in English-style sweet stouts, commonly referred to as milk stouts.