Boozy Sparkling Cider Float

This boozy sparkling cider float is an adult take on a summertime favourite. Highly customizable, use whichever spirit or liqueur you love!

Originally published October 8, 2015. Updated on 9/8/2021

Last year while at Minnesota Renaissance Festival, Porter and I tried sparkling apple cider floats for the first time.

It was nice... refreshing while still being "seasonal". The bright flavour from the sparkling cider constrasted the rich creaminess of the ice cream well.

So of course we went home and made our own.

A little less G-rated, our home version was made with our Homemade Hard Apple Cider.

SO good!

This year we did it again, but played with the ingredients a little.

Boozy Sparkling Cider Floats

Instead of using hard apple cider, we used a complimentary liqueur.

This is fantastic with Apple or Maple Flavoured Crown Royal, which is how we tend to make them.

Not a fan of whiskey?

You can use other alcohol here too!

Sour Apple pucker, butterscotch schnapps, cinnamon schnapps, Whipped Cream Flavoured vodka… if it’s a flavour that’ll taste good with apples, go ahead and do it!

Or, skip this ingredient and just use hard apple cider.

For the ice cream, we tend to use a good quality French vanilla ice cream, but have fun with it.

Cinnamon, caramel, salted caramel… Again, just pick something that works well with apple!

Boozy Apple Cider Floats - The Verdict

These are very tasty, and a really fun take on a childhood tradition of rootbeer floats... as my husband pointed out:

"Like growing up on hamburgers, and then having an Apple Chicken Burger with Basil and Gouda... really similar base, and has that nostalgia ... but wow this is cool and different. I'm trying not to say 'it tastes like fall in a glass', because I think I could easily overuse that phrase, and it kind of makes me want to punch myself in the face."

Enjoy!