June 20: National Ice Cream Soda Day and National Vanilla Milkshake Day

National Ice Cream Soda Day

Mmm… Ice cream sodas.  I grew up calling ice cream floats, usually going for a root beer float.  I always thought ice cream sodas were made by taking your favorite soda and adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  (Of course, that meant you had to make to quickly drink it down low enough so it wouldn’t bubble over. )  According to WikiHow, I’ve been making them wrong.  Meh… I’ll stick to my much simpler method.

The ice cream soda can be whatever you want it to be.  Try using a strawberry soda and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Or a vanilla soda with strawberry ice cream.  Or an orange soda with chocolate ice cream.  (Hey, don’t knock it until you try it!)  Skip the champagne at your wedding and serve ice cream floats instead.  Instead of serving cocktails at your next social, try serving ice cream sodas for a retro feel.

For those curious as to how an ice cream soda works, About.com has the answer.  As for history, it seems the ice cream soda was invented in Philadephia in 1874.

National Vanilla Milkshake Day

I wonder why this got put on the same day as National Ice Cream Soda day?  Maybe because summer is starting and it’s the time for cold drinks.  Well, whatever the reason, let’s take a look at the vanilla milkshake.

This is another recipe that is pretty simple throw whatever you want in a blender and as long as it comes out kinda white, creamy, cold and vanilla flavored you’ve got a vanilla milkshake.  Okay, okay….traditionally the vanilla milkshake has vanilla ice cream, ice, and milk all blended together for a cold drink.  You can add more vanilla if you want a stronger flavor.  Just remember to use a high quality vanilla extract if you want to use it for  your vanilla milkshake.

You can also buy powder that you mix with your milk and some ice for a vanilla milkshake.  These have a tendency to taste grainy so I tend to avoid them.  Personally, my vanilla milkshakes are ice, plain soy milk, and soy vanilla ice cream.  (I’ll sometimes add bananas or strawberries, but at that point, they’re no longer vanilla milkshakes.)  A lot of people I know like to add supplements to their milkshakes for the extra benefits.

Well, no matter what drink you prefer, I'm sure it'll make a refreshing summer drink.





[Author's note:  So I made a mistake and originally switched around the food observances for June 20 and June 21.  June 20 is National Ice Cream Soda Day and National Vanilla Milkshake Days.   The entries have been corrected to reflect the correct food observances.]