If you’re the lucky winner, you can enjoy a free ice cream float each week for a year!
It’s been 150 years since the ice cream float came to being. It all happened by accident, but we’ll get to that later. So yes, this sweet treat is that old, but it amazingly retained its refreshing taste. To celebrate 150 years of sweetness, Baskin-Robbins and Pepsi are coming together to host a giveaway. Besides free ice cream floats for a year, there are other exciting treats waiting for you!
In honor of the 150th anniversary of ice cream float, Baskin-Robbins and Pepsi will choose one lucky winner to get a free ice cream float every week for one year. This promo runs from October 15, 2024 to November 12, 2024, and here are the steps to join:
- At Baskin-Robbins, order an ice cream float made with any drink from PepsiCo or purchase two scoops of ice cream and a PepsiCo drink.
- To enter the contest via SMS, text “FLOAT” and send to 23955.
- Follow the automated prompts to attach the image of your receipt via SMS.
- If you purchased through the app, save your receipt and follow steps 1 to 3. Make sure that your e-receipt has your name and email address.
Additionally, there are 150 winners that will be chosen to receive $20 gift cards from Baskin-Robbins. If you want to join without making a purchase, that’s possible, too! Just check the official rules here for complete details.
To make the celebration more festive, Baskin-Robbins and Pepsi also announced a special one-day role, the “Chief Floats Officer.” Professional dancer Alan Bersten was chosen to take on the temporary role and will promote the free float giveaway. According to Bersten, an ice cream float never fails to cool him down after a long day of dance practice. Enjoying this drink should be a daily indulgence, he added.
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The Sweet Origin of Ice Cream Floats
In 1874, the ice cream float was created by a twist of fate. This is all thanks to Robert Green who operated a soda shop in Philadelphia. One day, he ran out of cream to use for the soda creams he was offering. That’s when he thought of borrowing vanilla ice cream from a vendor nearby. This resulted in the ice cream float that we know and love today. Meanwhile, Green managed to increase his daily earnings from $6 to $600 after the invention of the iconic drink.
Today, some of the most famous and delicious floats can be found in fast food chains, and they come mixed in with different fountain drinks.
- McDonald’s McFloat – A drink made with ice cold Coke topped with creamy vanilla soft serve. This is an actual menu item served in other countries, but in the US, it’s a DIY secret menu option.
- A&W’s Root Beer Float – Yup, you guessed it. This one features the world-famous A&W Root Beer served in a frosty mug and finished with vanilla ice cream.
- Sonic’s Orange Cloudsicle Slush Float – This limited-time offer from Sonic was unfortunately available until June 2024 only. It was made with orange cloudsicle-flavored slush topped with vanilla ice cream. It also had orange-vanilla boba pearls inside the slush and atop the ice cream.
As you can see, ice cream floats aren’t just a popular offering at fast food chains. Some fans actually create the dessert themselves if the restaurant doesn’t offer it but has the two essential ingredients: soda and ice cream. The dessert’s appeal doesn’t just lie in its cooling effect and delicious taste, but also in the fact that it’s impossible to mess up when you create it by yourself.
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New Desserts We Want You to Try
‘Tis the season to indulge in more treats that will satisfy your sweet tooth. Of course, as with anything in life, our reminder is to enjoy them in moderation. These new items are available for a limited-time, though, so you better give them a try as soon as you can!
Dunkin’s Hauntingly Sweet Treats
Dunkin’ joins the spooky fun with the release of their Halloween specials. These include the Potion Macchiato, a purple-colored drink that combines espresso ube swirl and marshmallow. There’s also the Halloween Munchkin Bucket that comes with up to 50 mini donuts featuring new sprinkled-covered munchkins.
Chick-fil-A’s New Secret Menu Hack
Do you believe that chocolate makes everything better? Instagram user @snackolator believes so and he proved it by trying a new secret menu hack over at Chick-fil-A. The hack involves ordering the restaurant’s famous Banana Pudding Milkshake and asking your server to add Hershey’s chocolate syrup. Banana and chocolate is a delicious combination found in many desserts, so we recommend that you try this hack, too!
Baskin-Robbins’ Fall Menu
And now we’re back to Baskin-Robbins because of they’re wide-ranging library of ice cream flavors. They started with just 31 flavors so customers can try one for each day of the month, and then it grew to over 1,000. If that’s too many for you to choose from, start small with Baskin-Robbins’ fall-inspired flavors.
Join the pumpkin craze by giving the Pumpkin Cheesecake ice cream a try. This treat combines the brand’s iconic pumpkin-flavored and cheesecake-flavored ice creams, blended with ginger snap cookie pieces and cinnamon cream cheese swirls. For a chocolatey treat, you can’t go wrong with the German Chocolate Cake ice cream. Grab your fall flannel and get cozy with this treat made with Swiss-style chocolate ice cream that’s oh-so-smooth. Contrast that with walnut pieces, fudge brownies, caramel swirls, and coconut flakes, and you get such a decadent dessert!
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From The Club
Ice cream float is so iconic that even though a restaurant doesn’t offer it, we find a way to create it anyway. And even if it’s so simple to make at home, we still go out and get it from chains like Baskin-Robbins. To be honest, it’s worth the trip, especially if I want to make the float special by adding my favorite Baskin-Robbins ice cream flavors (yes, plural 🤤). That winner of free ice cream floats for a year would be so lucky!