Quick and easy, boozy and creamy, these Red Wine Floats take only 5 minutes to make with only 3 ingredients. Such a simple combination of red wine, ice cream, and club soda, this fizzy creation is a sweet yet sophisticated cocktail and dessert all in one sip!
Creamy, Boozy and Fun Red Wine Floats
Red Wine Floats are the latest trend that converts the classic root beer float into an adult boozy beverage. Just like the traditional childhood treat, this simple recipe combines a carbonated drink with a creamy scoop of ice cream, but this revised version gives your favorite float a grown-up makeover.
Generous scoops of ice cream swimming in a glass full of wine, and when topped with sparkling seltzer, you’ve created a fun, fruity-flavored dessert cocktail with that similar “old-fashioned” soda fountain flair.
I love to make these Red Wine Floats, not only because they are a delightful drink, but also because I have a mutual affection for wine and ice cream, making this recipe the ultimate foodie lovefest in a wine glass. With its natural fruity flavor, red wine is the perfect complement to your favorite iced dessert and as the two melt together, they make a pretty puddle of frothy red wine with a fizz!
Why We Love This Red Wine Floats Recipe
- Quick and easy to make with only 3 ingredients.
- Similar to the classic root beer float, but with a boozy twist.
- Delicious dessert drink that combines ice cream and a sweet red wine.
- Great gorgeous cocktail for Mother’s Day brunch, Valentine’s Day dinner, or celebrating any special occasion.
- Perfect as a dessert, after-dinner drink, or poolside cocktail.
Ingredients / Shopping List
- Red Wine: I recommend using a Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Sweet Red Blend for this recipe.
- Ice cream: Make sure you use a good quality Vanilla, Strawberry or Black Cherry.
- Unflavored seltzer water
Substitutions and Additions
- Make Your Own Mix: Feel free to create your own custom wine float. Some ideas include:
- Champagne + Orange Sherbet (Mimosa Float)
- Prosecco + Raspberry Sorbet (Champagne Float)
- Peach Moscato + Vanilla Ice Cream (Moscato Float)
- Fancy Up Your Float: Adding whipped cream and a red cherry or fresh berries on top make your float a bit more fancy and decadent.
- Instead Of Ice Cream: You can use gelato, sherbet or sorbet instead of ice cream.
- Skip The Seltzer: Substitute the club soda for cherry soda or any other flavored soda that will compliment the wine you’ve picked. Or use a sparking Rosé, prosecco or champagne.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Wine Glass
- Ice cream scoop
- Spoon or straw
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How to Make Wine Floats
Quick and easy, boozy and creamy, these Red Wine Floats take only 5 minutes to make with only 3 ingredients. Such a simple combination of red wine, ice cream, and club soda, this fizzy creation is a sweet yet sophisticated cocktail and dessert all in one sip!
- Pour your wine into a wine glass.
- Add 2 scoops of ice cream to the wine.
- Pour seltzer water into the wine glass.
- Start sipping and enjoy!
Tips
- When deciding on which red wine to choose, remember to pick one that you would enjoy drinking on its own. Try to stick with medium to sweet red wines for these floats. Dryer wines do not pair as well with the ice cream.
- When deciding on which ice cream to pair with your wine, you can read the bottle and see what flavor notes your wine has. For example, the Pinot Noir I chose has flavor notes of cherry, raspberry, and vanilla, so I decided to pair it with a good quality vanilla ice cream. My Merlot had flavor notes of berries and chocolate, so I paired it with strawberry ice cream, and my sweet red blend had flavor notes of black cherry and plum, so I paired it with black cherry ice cream.
- These red wine floats can be enjoyed with a spoon or sipped.
- It is best to prepare individual servings as you want them.
Storage Tips
- To Store: You can store any extra red wine, corked and on the counter, for up to a week.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can skip the addition of the seltzer water if you choose; however, it gives these red wine floats that “old-fashioned” soda fountain flair. You can also try using a sparkling red wine, since the bubbles in the club soda are what react to the ice cream, creating a foamy top. You could still make this float with a non-sparkling wine, though; you just have to be okay with little to no foam and may need to add a bit more ice cream to curb any sharp tastes from the alcohol.
It’s easy to make this cocktail a mocktail if your kids want in on the fun or if you choose not to drink alcohol. Simply scoop the ice cream into the wine glasses and then top it with grape soda, Sprite, 7 Up, raspberry seltzer, or sparkling cider.
Red wine is full of antioxidants so it’s a nice excuse to pour yourself a glass. However, I wouldn’t say this float is exactly healthy but if you’re going to have a glass of wine with ice cream, it might as well be red!
Other Easy Cocktail Recipes
- Dirty Snowmen
- Boozy Frozen Lemonade
- Cotton Candy Champagne Cocktail
- Butterbeer Jell-O Shots
- Classic Hot Toddy
- White Wine Slushie
- Drunken Dalgona
- Drunken Rudolph
- Creamsicle Jello Shots
Red Wine Floats
Ingredients
- 750 ml bottle of Red Wine (Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Sweet Red Blend)
- ½ gallon good quality ice cream (Vanilla, Strawberry or Black Cherry)
- 1 liter bottle of unflavored seltzer water
Instructions
- Pour 5 ounces of red wine into a wine glass.
- Scoop 2 generous scoops of ice cream into the wine glass.
- Top the wine and ice cream with ¼ cup of unflavored seltzer water.
- Enjoy!
Jenn’s Notes
- You can store any extra red wine, corked and on the counter, for up to a week.
- When deciding on which red wine to choose, remember to pick one that you would enjoy drinking on its own. Try to stick with medium to sweet red wines for these floats. Dryer wines do not pair as well with the ice cream.
- When deciding on which ice cream to pair with your wine, you can read the bottle and see what flavor notes your wine has. For example, the Pinot Noir I chose has flavor notes of cherry, raspberry, and vanilla, so I decided to pair it with a good quality vanilla ice cream. My Merlot had flavor notes of berries and chocolate, so I paired it with strawberry ice cream, and my sweet red blend had flavor notes of black cherry and plum, so I paired it with black cherry ice cream.
- These red wine floats can be enjoyed with a spoon or sipped.
- It is best to prepare individual servings as you want them.
