Easy, homemade Boston Coolers made with just 2 ingredients! These vanilla bean and ginger ale milkshakes are refreshing and delicious on a hot summer day. Whip these up in minutes for a cold treat that everyone will love!
You might also love these recipes for grapefruit champagne granita, homemade ginger simple syrup, and rhubarb cordial.
Why are they called Boston Coolers?
A Boston Cooler is a classic Detroit drink that’s sort of like an ice cream float or a milkshake. It’s a delicious blend of creamy vanilla ice cream with sweet and spicy ginger ale. But not just any ginger ale, specifically you should use Vernor’s ginger ale, which is also from Detroit. And the name is derived from Detroit’s Boston Boulevard and its proximity to Dr. Vernor’s original soda fountain, where they served Vernor’s ginger ale.
At any rate, although I grew up in South Carolina and not in Michigan, Boston Coolers were a favorite drink of my parents, and I have fond memories of my parents blending them up in the summer for everyone to enjoy. And while I’m not typically a soda drinker, I do like the hint of spice in ginger ale so it doesn’t taste too sweet. I make my Boston Coolers heavy on the ice cream, so they’re more like a milkshake, which is how I love them.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Vanilla Ice Cream. Choose a good quality vanilla bean ice cream for the best flavor.
- Ginger Ale. For an authentic Boston Cooler, be sure to use Vernor’s ginger ale.
You can also add a splash of bourbon or whiskey, or a sprinkling of ground vanilla powder on top.
Instructions
- Chill your glasses in the freezer first, preferably for 20-30 minutes.
- Scoop the ice cream into your blender, then pour in 1 1/2 cans of the ginger ale.
- Blend for 30-60 seconds until smooth and creamy. Only add the rest of the ginger ale if the mixture is too thick to blend.
- Pour into chilled glasses and serve immediately. Makes 4 adult-sized milkshakes, or 8 child-sized milkshakes.
Recipe Variations
- Make a Boston Cooler “float”. If you don’t have a blender, simply scoop the ice cream into your chilled glasses and pour the ginger ale over the ice cream.
- Add some booze. A boozy Boston Cooler with a splash of bourbon, whiskey, or even just plain vodka would be so good!
- Make it a little less rich. My milkshake variation uses a lot of ice cream, so if you want a drink that’s less rich and not as thick as a milkshake, simply blend less ice cream with more ginger ale.
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Boston Coolers
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Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 ½ qts (3 pints) good-quality vanilla bean ice cream
- 2 cans (24 oz) Vernor's ginger ale
Instructions
- Chill your glasses in the freezer first, preferably for 20-30 minutes.
- Scoop the ice cream into your blender, then pour in 1 1/2 cans of the ginger ale.
- Blend for 30-60 seconds until smooth and creamy. Only add the rest of the ginger ale if the mixture is too thick to blend.
- Pour into chilled glasses and serve immediately. Makes 4 adult-sized milkshakes, or 8 child-sized milkshakes.
- Notes: For a "float" scoop vanilla ice cream into a glass and pour the ginger ale over the ice cream. For a drink that's not as thick as a milkshake, simply blend less ice cream with more ginger ale.
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