Day Four: My Cup Runneth Over
When I imagine a cup running over, I think of a bubbly drink cascading over the edges of a frosty glass. Like when you shake a bottle of soda before opening or get a root beer straight from the keg.
Our VBS often has ice cream donated from a local ice cream shop, and what better way to use it than by making floats? Even if you don’t have ice cream available, cream sodas are an easy drink that cuts back on the sugary canned beverages you could buy at a store. Made of carbonated water (tonic, seltzer, or similar), flavor syrup, and cream (or half and half), a real cream soda is a special treat.
Since we’re in Ireland why not make it an Irish Cream Soda with a double play on the word cream?
Drink: Irish Cream Soda Floats
Serving: One 8 to 12 oz float
Supplies List:
- ice cream
- Toriani Irish Cream flavor syrup (750 mL)
- cream soda or seltzer water
- 8-9 oz cups
- green straws
- green sprinkles (optional)
- whipped topping cans (optional)
Add a scoop of ice cream to the bottom of the cup (approximately 1/4 cup [2 oz]-1/2 cup [4 oz]). It’s ok to do this a little ahead of time. If some of ice cream to be melted it’s just more cream to make the cream soda.
Add 1/8 tsp of Toriani Irish Cream flavor syrup. This is basically a few drops. Any more than that and it overpowered the drink and didn’t taste very good.
Top with 8 ounces of cream soda.
Add a green straw.
For extra pizzaz consider topping with whipped cream and green sugar.
BE SURE TO SERVE THIS ITEM WITHIN A FEW MINUTES. AFTER ONLY 5 MINUTES IT WILL BE COMPLETELY DEFLATED.
HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED?
Cream Soda
Ice Cream
1/4 cup of ice cream would yield approximately 64 servings per gallon of ice cream.
1/3 cup of ice cream would yield approximately 48 servings per gallon of ice cream.
1/2 cup of ice cream would yield approximately 32 servings per gallon of ice cream.
Flavor Syrup
One pump of syrup is supposed to be 1/2 TBSP. At this dosage one 750 mL jar should contain about 100 pumps.
Since we’re using only 1/8 tsp per serving, a 750 mL jar will yield nearly 1000 servings. More than you should ever need.
Serving Considerations
After speaking with another VBS kitchen volunteer who has lead the snack at their church for about 7 years, she suggested that we serve the ice cream (or sherbet if you follow the manual) at the tables then come around and ask the kids if they want the soda on top or in a cup on the side. In previous years they have served root beer floats and some children did not like their ice cream and pop mixed. This will also keep the foam at the top of the cup nice and bubbly like it’s actually about to run over, not deflated after sitting. You may have to scrap the green sprinkles.
Drink: Irish Cream Chocolate Milk
As an alternative to the more complex Irish Cream Soda Floats try chocolate milk instead.
Chocolate milk with added Irish cream flavoring syrup topped with whipped cream and green sugar. Served with a green and white straw.
Snack: My Puffs Overfloweth
Serving Size: One bag (2-3 cups of popcorn)
The VBS manual calls for an overflowing cup of popcorn. Since the Irish Cream Soda Floats are really the star of this snack day, we decided to serve our ins 1 oz popcorn bags. This allowed us to prepare them ahead of time and focus on making the special drinks during the VBS rush.
SUPPLIES LIST
- green gingham cups
- white butter puffcorn
Serving Considerations
The same snack coordinator who suggested serving the pop and ice cream separate also said she would never suggest serving popcorn to 200 kids.
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