That said, I am picky about my Root Beers. For instance I cannot stand Barq's Root Beer. I find it horribly disgusting. And it bugs me that they added caffeine to it. Why ruin a good thing? I don't like drinking caffeinated drinks and I most certainly do not want my kids drinking it either. So thumbs down for Barq's.
Anyway, here are some of my favorite Root Beers. And since I think of Root Beer and Summertime as one and the same I thought I should share this before summer begins.
A&W Root Beer -- seriously good. I wish it didn't have any high fructose corn syrup in it. Then it'd be nirvana. But it's close. I like to buy the little 4 oz (or is 6 oz) cans. It's the perfect size for just a taste.
Trader Joe's has a great root beer that I buy often. It does NOT have the evil HFCS in it and so I am more likely to buy this brand than the A&W. I just wish it came in the little bottles as well.
Boylan Bottling Co. has another one of my favorite rootbeers. It's definitely not too sweet and is also not sweetened by HFCS. Hurrah! I love having this as a special treat. Mmm mmmm
Dad's Root Beer Company - I was going to give them a nice review, but my "beef" with them is that they use HFCS AND on their website they have a whole section on "myths" about HFCS. So for this reason I don't think I can buy this brand anymore. Sorry, Dad's -- but HFCS is crap. I'll drink it knowing that it's crap, but don't try to tell me it's not crap. That bugs.
Oh yes, Stewart's Root Beer - how can you forget a great classic? Love this brand. I also like their other flavored soft drinks as well. (Side note - I was single and living alone in L.A. when Y2K came around. I stocked up NOT on rice and beans... but on Stewart's brand Key Lime and Orange Cream Soda, Oreo cookies and ice cream. If I was going down - I was going down eating foods I knew I shouldn't!). So this company holds a special place in my heart (ha ha).
Okay, but my favorite part about this post is what I found online the other day. I'm so excited about this discovery! I found this blog called SmileMonsters and she has the cutest and most creative things on her blog! Seriously cute blog that I admire from afar.
She has some great ideas here and my favorite one (so far) is her recipe for
Root Beer Float on a Stick
1 12oz. root beer or 1 1/2 cups
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Mix root beer and sweetened condensed milk together with a whisk. If it gets to foamy set it in the fridge for a bit to settle down. Pour into popsicle molds. I prefer dixie cups and popsicle sticks. I let the popsicles set up(about an hour) before I insert the sticks.
OR you can try the Root Beer & Cream sicles that she created!
The root beer mixture is the same. Pour into your cups or molds about 1/3 of the way. Freeze for about an hour.
For the cream layer mix together:
1/3 cup whole milk
1 Tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Pour that in even amounts into your molds and freeze another hour. Then top off with remaining root beer mixture. Freeze again but don't forget to insert your sticks once that top layer has gotten firm. This takes a little more work but they look super.
Tips:
You can decrease the amount of sweetened condensed milk for a more icy popsicle. Make up the difference with milk. Meaning, you want a 1/2 cup total of your "float" part of the mixture.
The sweetened condensed milk gives it a great creamy texture. To much will not allow your popsicle to freeze solidly though. So more is not better in this situation.
There are several molds you can buy for popsicle making, I have three. I still like the shape and size of the dixie cup.
See the holes in the popsicles in the top photo and not as many in the lower photos. That is the difference in letting your root beer go a little flat before you pop it in the freezer.
I can't wait to try these! They look divine and perfect for a hot summer day (if we ever have one of those again).
Hope you enjoy!
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