I hope everyone is enjoying their Holiday season so far! Today’s recipe, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company, is a festive ice cream float that pairs Coca-Cola® with sweet-tart cranberry.

Cranberries, one of my holiday favorites, are actually featured two ways in this recipe. First, they’re cooked into a syrup with fresh lemon and clementine zest. The syrup is drizzled over vanilla ice cream and fizzy Coca-Cola®, adding notes of citrus and red fruit to this classic dessert. Next, cranberries are transformed into a glittering confection and used as festive garnish along with sprigs of rosemary. These Sparkling Cranberry & Cola Ice Cream Floats are bright, cheery and perfect for a holiday gathering with friends and family. Continue reading for the ice cream float recipe.

The ingredient list is pretty simple here as both the sparkling cranberries and the cranberry syrup are made with just sugar and water. I added some lemon and clementine zest to the syrup for depth of flavor, but it would certainly be tasty without.

Sam’s Club is one of my favorite spots to stock up on holiday entertaining supplies. I live about 5 minutes away from a Sam’s Club, and I absolutely love their Scan & Go app. The app allows you to scan products as you are shopping, and you can self-checkout directly within the app. No need to wait in lines! I grabbed the clementines and a 35 pack of Coca-Cola® at Sam’s Club for this recipe.

Ok, let’s talk sparkling cranberries. I made these for the first time last year, and I absolutely love them!! You start by gently cooking fresh cranberries in a warm simple syrup made with sugar and water. As the cranberries soak up the syrup, they’ll soften and lose some of their tart edge. The cooked cranberries are then rolled in sugar and left to dry for a couple of hours. The resulting cranberries are crunchy and sparkling on the outside with a pleasant pop of tartness within.

In this recipe, sparkling cranberries are skewered with a toothpick and used as a garnish. I’d definitely recommend making some extra to snack on during the holiday season!

Sprigs of fresh rosemary are used as a garnish here because to me, they look like little Christmas tree branches. You’ll get some rosemary aroma as you enjoy the ice cream float, and you might even get a hint of flavor as you slurp up the last drops.

You can prepare both of the cranberry elements days in advance. Just make sure you’ve got ice-cold Coca-Cola® and vanilla ice cream on hand, and you can make these whenever the craving strikes!

These Sparkling Cranberry & Coca Ice Cream Floats would be a perfect addition to any holiday bash. This recipe makes enough for eight floats, so double or triple quantities as needed. Set up an ice cream float station with a bowl of sparkling cranberries, a small pitcher of cranberry citrus syrup, a jar rosemary sprigs in water, and cans of Coca-Cola® on ice. Scoop vanilla ice cream into bowls or glasses for your guests, and then let them prepare the float to taste.

This post has been sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company. All thoughts, opinions and recipes are my own.

4