How to Make a Boston Cooler
In spite of its name, the Boston cooler owes its origins to a soda parlor in Detroit (or so the story goes.) The drink dates back to the late Nineteenth century and was made with the sweet Vernor's ginger ale. The drink is still popular at Detroit's Coney Island stands. The basic recipe is Vernor's and ice cream, but the variations are endless. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Ginger Ale (sweet or dry)
- Vanilla ice cream
- Powdered sugar
- Ground cinnamon, or ginger
- Soda fountain glass
- Ice cream scoop
- Soda straw
- Iced teaspoon
Instructions
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1
Arrange your soda accessories on the counter: soda glass, straw and iced teaspoon. Boston coolers should be experienced as a fountain drink, not an ordinary ice cream soda. The teaspoon is essential; you want to be able to reach the bottom of the glass.
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2
Fill your glass two-thirds to three quarters of the way with ginger ale. Sweet ginger ales like Vernor's capture the spirit of the original, but dry ginger ales add more bubbles to the drink.
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3
Roll a full scoop of ice cream. You want the scoop to be as round as possible to drop into the middle of your drink. Drop it dead center, but gently so that the ginger ale doesn't splash over the side. Add two if you want.
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4
Fill the glass to the top with ginger ale. You want to bring the ice cream above the glass so that it floats.
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5
Sprinkle powdered sugar and ground cinnamon over the ice cream. If you feel more adventurous, try ground ginger to add a little bite to the flavor.
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6
Spoon the ice cream with a sip of ginger ale. Hold off on the soda straw until the last bit of ice cream is gone. Resist the temptation to blend the ice cream and ginger ale. A Boston cooler isn't a shake or frostee.
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Tips & Warnings
There was an alcoholic version of the Boston cooler popular in the forties. Instead of ice cream, add rum and cracked ice. Sweeten with powdered sugar and garnish with an orange or lemon slice.
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Comments
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We use to have a Vernor's Drive in on Salem Ave. back in the 40's. It even had car hops or you could go inside to drink. They always kept it at a certain temperature. You could get it in a mug or get a qt. in a waxed megaphone type container. They even had it in Cream Ales, chocolate, strawberry, etc. I would give anything for the recipes. I still drink Diet Vernor's. Vernor's is the only ginger ale to drink.
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Oh, one more thing Coney Islands are resturants, NOT hot dog stands.
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It's like saying your making a Philly Steak with pizza sauce and cheddar cheese. That's NOT a Philly Steak. Or, New England Clam Chowder with a tomato base. It's NOT a variation, it's wrong and it's insulting. What you are making is a ginger ale float NOT a Boston Cooler. And while I'm at it, "(or, so the story goes)" is condescending. And, "the variations are endless." Seems we're all in agreement there! NO,.... No, we are NOT in agreement. We know our history in Detroit. And, take pride in it. How simple it would have been just to do it correctly.
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I, too, am from Detroit and grew up on these. Please, it's simple. 1. Vernors (only Vernors). 2. Vanilla ice cream. That's it. Keep it simple, keep it pure or it is not a Boston Cooler.
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no, i'm sorry, the variations are not endless and we are not all in agreement with you! if it is not made with vernors ginger ale it is not a boston cooler. if it is not made with vernors you can call it something else, you can call it anything else, but it is not a boston cooler. whoever wrote this recipe is definitely not from detroit, eHow, do you research the recipes you post? have you not read the comments by the native detroiters? we are all in agreement. you don't have the ingredients or the preparation correct. i am sad that you do not understand.
