Need Something New To Drink? Try a Boston Cooler

It's a refreshing drink with a seemingly local name and yet the Boston Cooler has nothing to do with Massachusetts.

Many ice cream drink lovers call the Boston Cooler better than a root beer float, but it's ingredients aren't too far off.

So, if you want something a little different in your next frozen beverages this summer, why not make yourself a Boston Cooler?

Where Did The Boston Cooler Get Its Name

Believe it or not, the Boston Cooler was not created in Massachusetts and has nothing at all to do with its historic capital city.

The ginger ale and ice cream treat originated in Michigan, over 700 miles away from the East Coast.

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No one is entirely sure where the Boston Cooler got its name, but most people agree it first appeared in a Detroit ice cream shop in the 1800s. The theory is the drink was named for Boston Boulevard in Detroit, but that story has never been confirmed.

Though its origins are mysterious, its popularity was amazing.

The Boston Cooler has become a classic drink in Detroit since one of its main ingredients is a ginger ale brand created in the city. Though any ginger ale can be used, the drink was first made with Vernors ginger ale and diehards insist on it still.

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The company that now owns the Vernors ginger ale brand is Keurig Dr. Pepper, based in Burlington.

How Do You Make a Boston Cooler?

The recipe is pretty simple, but you need a blender to make it correctly.

Unlike a root beer float, with the Boston Cooler you blend your soda and ice cream.

Add three scoops of vanilla ice cream per one can of Vernors (or any ginger ale). Blend until you get a milkshake-like consistency, then pour into a glass and enjoy.

You can get fancy and drink the mixture from a hollowed-out melon, as some were served in the early 1900s. Or you can add a little rum and lime to make the cocktail version Massachusetts residents started enjoying in the late 1800s.