Ice cream float variation of ice cream soda was available at local soda fountains and nationally, at Dairy Queen stores for many years. A similar soda made with chocolate syrup but vanilla ice cream is sometimes called a "black and white" ice cream soda. Also known as a "black cow" or "brown cow", the root beer float is traditionally made with vanilla ice cream and root beer, but it can also be made with other ice cream flavors. The similarly flavored soft drink birch beer may also be used instead of root beer. In the United States and Canada, the chain A&W Restaurants
Ice cream float often used generically to refer to any cola in the United Kingdom, and "soda" is usually taken to mean soda water, sweetened carbonated drinks instead being collectively called "soft drinks" or "(fizzy) pop". In Mexico, it is known as "Helado flotante" ("Floating Ice Cream") or "flotante". In El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Colombia it's called Vaca Negra (Black Cow), while in Puerto Rico is referred to as a "black out". In the United States, an "ice cream soda" typically refers to the drink containing soda water, syrup, and ice cream, whereas a "float" is generally ice cream in