National Root Beer Float Day is celebrated annually, honoring a beverage with origins in colonial America. Early iterations of root beer were created by fermenting herbs and roots with sugar, a practice dating back to at least the 16th century, according to Ken Albala, professor of history at the University of the Pacific.
European settlers in the New World discovered plants like sassafras, which was used in early colonial root beer. This drink was typically made by steeping sassafras root bark with other herbs and barks, adding sugar, and allowing it to ferment. The resulting beverage was called "beer" because it contained a small amount of alcohol, generally 2% or less.
The Evolution of Root Beer Flavor
Safrole, a compound found in sassafras oil, was later identified as a carcinogen. Consequently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned it as a food additive in the 1960s. Modern root beer recipes utilize safrole-free sassafras extracts, often combined with wintergreen and other natural or artificial flavorings to replicate the original taste.
The exact origin of the root beer float is less clear. One popular legend attributes its invention to Frank J. Wisner in Cripple Creek, Colorado, in 1893. The story suggests he was inspired by the snow-covered peak of Cow Mountain and created the "Black Cow," as he called it, by adding vanilla ice cream to root beer. However, Rachel Storm, a curator at History Colorado, has stated that there is no proof to support this story.
Albala suggests that the modern root beer float likely emerged around the time of A&W's establishment in 1919 as a roadside root beer stand in Lodi, California. He theorizes that the practice of adding ice cream to root beer may have originated in the "blazingly hot" summers of the Lodi region as a way to make the drink even colder.
A&W, one of America's first franchised chain restaurants, has been serving its root beer float for over 100 years. The company's website notes that its root beer is prepared fresh in each restaurant. Albala described the combination of flavors as "the acidity of the soda and the rooty, herbal sassafras flavor" being mellowed by the ice cream as "a surprisingly great combination of flavors."
Shifting Consumer Preferences
Despite its historical significance, root beer is no longer considered a fashionable flavor, according to Albala. Younger generations tend to favor fizzy-flavored waters, kombuchas, and energy drinks, with a general decline in soda consumption. A 2026 YouGov survey indicated that Barq's Root Beer ranked as the 12th most popular beverage among millennials, while A&W Root Beer was the fourth most popular among baby boomers.
International consumers often find root beer's primary flavor, wintergreen, to be unusual, sometimes comparing it to toothpaste. The addition of ice cream can also seem strange to those unfamiliar with the American tradition.
Albala views the fading popularity of root beer and its floats as a loss, calling root beer "a very original American soda that goes back much further than the commercial brands that exist now." He added that the combination with ice cream is "a unique and fascinatingly lovely thing."
On National Root Beer Float Day, participating A&W Restaurants traditionally offer free small root beer floats and request donations for veterans' groups.