For well
over a century, Coke Floats have delivered cool, creamy refreshment on a hot
day. And while the most common recipe for the soda fountain favorite consists
simply of Coca-Cola poured over a few scoops of vanilla ice cream, creative
chefs and everyday fans alike continue to experiment with ingredients, flavors
and presentation.
Take Martha Stewart, for example, who put her signature spin on the classic concoction while growing up in the tiny, tree-lined township of Nutley, N.J. -- about a half-hour drive from her company’s offices in New York City. With Labor Day weekend signaling summer’s end in just a few days, we asked Martha to share with us her Coke Float story, plus a few tips and recipes.
Coca-Cola , but
my friend down the street, her father worked for Coca-Cola . They had a
refrigerator on their little back porch that was always filled with bottles of
Coca-Cola!
In May or June, when the weather started getting hot, we would walk to my friend’s house after school, fill glasses with ice and pourCoca-Cola over the cubes. Then we
would take whipped cream -- at that time it was Reddi-wip -- and squirt it all over the top.
We’d drop in a straw and have the best time enjoying our Coke Floats.
Then I started making them with my own homemade whipped cream. We also frozeCoca-Cola
in ice trays and made Coca-Cola ice cubes to drop in the glass -- so there was
no dilution. And later, when I found out about granite, or granita, we
would freeze a dish with about two inches of Coca-Cola in it, then scrape it
and make a granita, which is like delicious
fluffy ice, to serve with a big dollop of whipped cream.
It did. It
got more and more sophisticated. The videos we just filmed for my website feature three Coke Float recipes.
Each one is progressively more modern.
Coca-Cola glass. Growing up, one of my friends actually had
an ice cream parlor in her basement, with the tall ice cream soda glasses.
Those were perfect for our Coke Floats. But they look really good in any tall
glass.
No, just a
straw and a long spoon.
Over the last few years, chefs and
bartenders have introduced some pretty interesting interpretations of the Coke
Float. In fact, I recently saw one with bacon. How daring are you when it comes
to desserts?
I guess I’m
more restrictive (laughs). Years ago, we featured a ham basted with Coca-Cola on
my TV program. Jane Heller, my banker, it’s her favorite ham glaze. And it’s
delicious! But for a sweet dessert, I like to keep things simple.
Take Martha Stewart, for example, who put her signature spin on the classic concoction while growing up in the tiny, tree-lined township of Nutley, N.J. -- about a half-hour drive from her company’s offices in New York City. With Labor Day weekend signaling summer’s end in just a few days, we asked Martha to share with us her Coke Float story, plus a few tips and recipes.
Do you have an earliest Coke Float memory?
I was one of six children. My mother was a sixth-grade teacher, and my father was a pharmaceutical salesman. We really didn’t have enough money forIn May or June, when the weather started getting hot, we would walk to my friend’s house after school, fill glasses with ice and pour
Then I started making them with my own homemade whipped cream. We also froze
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