This site contains affiliate links. Please see Disclosure Policies for more information.

These delicious Red Wine Ice Cream Floats take two of your favorites, wine and ice cream, and combines them into the ultimate fruity dessert cocktail. They are a perfectly refreshing adult beverage and a great way to cool off on a hot summer day!

Red Wine Floats Recipe

Summertime means pool parties and back yard BBQs with friends and family, so I am always looking for a way to up my cocktail game to create the perfect summer drink. I recently added these Watermelon Margaritas and these 4th of July Jello Shots which have been super popular, but I can’t wait to bring out these red wine ice cream floats the next time my friends are over for a girl’s day!

Though these Red Wine Floats aren’t exactly kid-friendly, you’ll enjoy sipping on one and remembering just how much you loved the fizzy ice cream concoctions as a child. A fun twist on a classic root beer float, with this recipe a sweet red wine, a generous scoop of classic vanilla ice cream and a good old-fashioned club soda to give it the trademark foam is all it takes to create the latest trend of this boozy float.

Why We Love This Recipe:

• It only takes three simple ingredients to make them which gets you out of the kitchen and back to having fun in a snap.
• Cool and refreshing with a slight boozy kick.
• A boozy ice cream float that doubles as a cocktail and a dessert drink.
• Gorgeous colors make it the perfect wine cocktail for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, bridal showers or other special occasions.

Recommended Tools:

• Wine glass or other medium glass
• Ice Cream Scoop
• Straw or spoon

What’s Needed to Make Ice Cream Wine Floats

• Vanilla ice cream– for delicious floats you’ll want use a good quality ice cream, like vanilla bean ice cream

• Red wine-a fruity red wine works best, like pinot noir

• Plain club soda or seltzer– the addition of the seltzer water is what gives them that soda fountain flair

How to Make the Best Wine Floats

Step One: Scoop the Ice Cream

Add generous scoops of ice cream to your wine glasses or mug.

Step Two: Pour the Wine

Pour a few ounces of red wine on top, leaving room at the top of the glass.

Step Three: Add the Fizz and Serve

Top off with seltzer. Add a straw or a spoon and serve!

Wine Float Variations and Add-ins:

Wine: When choosing your favorite wine to use, look for a semi-dry to sweet wine or one that pairs well with the ice cream flavor you’re using. You can also use sweet white wines like a pinot grigio, Riesling or even a prosecco if you prefer.

Ice Cream: You can use any of your favorite ice cream flavors but be sure it will complement the flavor of the wine. Read the wine label to see which fruits or foods it pairs well with for a hint. For instance, merlot and pinot noir usually have notes of cherries and raspberries so vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream works great. Pinot grigio and Riesling with notes of figs, apricots and strawberries, pairs really well with strawberry ice cream as well as vanilla.

Toppings: I like to add a couple maraschino cherries straight from the jar. You could also opt for fresh raspberries, couple of cherries or strawberries too. You can also top your glass of red wine float with some whipped topping and dark chocolate shavings.

Seltzer Water: Make it sweeter by using strawberry, cherry or lemon lime soda to the ice cream.

Can You Make Them Kid-Friendly?

Oh, absolutely! You can use nonalcoholic sparkling red wine or sparkling grape juice instead of the wine. A tip to keep from mixing up the kids floats with the adult floats is to serve them in different style or size glasses.

Can I Make Red Wine Floats in Advance?

No. These floats are best made right before serving, so the ice cream will not be totally melted. If you’re looking for a time saving tip, you can pre-scoop the ice cream and freeze it in ball form in the freezer until you’re ready to serve it. You can even scoop the ice cream it into the glasses and freeze the glasses until right before you’re ready to make them.

More Delicious Beverage Recipes

• Peanut Butter Chocolate Milkshake
• Orange Sherbet Punch with Sprite
• Cool Whip Berry Smoothie
• Copycat Chick-fil-a Frosted Sunrise
• Fruity Pebbles Milkshake
• Kool-aid Slushies
• Copycat Chick-fil-a Frozen Lemonade
• Shamrock Shake
• Whipped Strawberry Milk
• Butterbeer