Level Up Your Summer Treats with Irresistible Cider Floats

When it comes to refreshing summer treats, ice cream floats are time-tested crowd-pleasers. And cider floats may be the grown-up treat that you didn’t know you needed! While we encourage you to experiment, we have done the very difficult work of testing a few combinations to find our favorite cider and ice cream match-ups. 


First, a couple of general pointers:

  • We adore chocolate, but chocolate ice cream isn’t really the best cider float selection. Just trust us on this one. 

  • The same goes for ice cream with inclusions—nuts, marshmallows, cookie dough, etc. This may seem obvious, but it’s worth remembering!

  • Opposites attract! Dry, less-sweet ciders compliment sweeter ice cream and sorbets beautifully; fruit-forward, sweeter ciders are best with sorbest and tart ice cream. 


With those basics to get you started, the sky's the limit! Grab a variety of ciders and a few pints of your favorite ice creams and sorbets, and have a summertime cider float party! And be sure to let us know your favorite combo. Here are a few of ours:

  • Kinda Dry Cider with salted caramel ice cream — The classic caramel apple combo that’s a step up from plain vanilla. 

  • Imperial Peach Tea Cider with French vanilla ice cream — The dry tannins in the tea are smoothed out by the creamy vanilla. 

  • Mango Mimosa Cider with mango sorbet — Create a bellini-like beverage that’s refreshing at any time of day!

  • Original Gold Cider with matcha green tea ice cream — The sweetness of the cider is balanced by the tea flavor. 

  • Strawberry Pineapple Cider with lemon sorbet — The bright citrus harmonizes with the fruity cider perfectly. 

  • True Brut Cider with peach ice cream — The sharpness of the dry cider contrasts with the ripe peach flavor for a sophisticated combo. 

Bonus tip: Cider floats aren’t just for summertime! This winter, pour our award-winning Santa’s Sauce spiced cider over a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream, and drizzle with caramel sauce. Or top your glass of Crangerine Cider with a generous scoop of raspberry sorbet. Expect more from your cider--and your desserts!


RecipePortland Cider