Boozy Black Cow Drink

Melissa

By: Melissa

Updated: September 19, 2024

Chocolate ice cream, rootbeer, and Kaluha; all delicious by themselves but blended together you get a creamy, frothy, boozy, and delicious frozen treat. What could be better than that? A dairy free version!

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Chocolate milkshake in a tall glass with a green and white paper straw, topped with whipped cream and a cherry.

What I love about the boozy black cow shake

A thought popped into my head the other day, one of me at the age of 15, working at a local frozen custard shop. They had a milkshake on the menu called a black cow. It was a smooth, blended version of a rootbeer float with chocolate ice cream, I loved root beer floats but I had never tried one like this before. And I loved it.

So naturally, as an adult I knew I just had to make one with booze, of course! We just happened to have a 2-liter of root beer in the pantry, leftover from the holidays, so I grabbed the blender and boy was the result good!

If you like this recipe, you have to try this pink squirrel, and this frozen watermelon moscow mule and this pina colada smoothie. We recently tried a boozy shamrock shake, and it was spot on!

Searching for more frozen cocktail recipes? Frozen sangria wine slushies / Miami Vice cocktail / Beer float / Jack Frost cocktail / cantaloupe melon margarita

a boozy black cow shake in a glass from above. A bowl of maraschino cherries to the side and a metal ice cream scoop full of chocolate ice cream.

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Close up of a black cow blended drink in a tall glass.

Ingredients & substitutions

  • Kahlua – Any type of coffee liqueur would do for this recipe, we usually opt for Kahlua.
  • Vegan chocolate ice cream – You should use your favorite dairy free or plant based chocolate ice cream.
  • Dairy free whipped topping – Use your favorite whipped cream alternative to top this blended drink.

Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.

  • A milkshake in a tall glass, with the top ¼ left empty for whipped cream.
  • Overhead photo of a drink topped with whipped cream and a cherry.

The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.

How to make a boozy black cow drink

Scoop. Fill a blender with a large scoop of chocolate ice cream, then pour in the rootbeer and Kahlua.

Blend. Blend on high speed until the contents are smooth and everything is well blended. Transfer to chilled glasses and top with dairy free whipped cream. And serve it with a cherry on top!

Top of a boozy drink with dairy free whipped cream and a cherry.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is a black cow drink? It was basically a blended root beer float. And, after doing a significant amount of online reading for no reason really, I found out that black cow and brown cow are used in a number of ways and can refer to root beer floats, chocolate root beer floats, blended drinks, etc, etc. You get the idea. It depends on where you live.
  • Why is it called a black cow? Legend has it that the idea was created near Colorado’s Cow mountain. Supposedly the creator thought the clouds and the mountains looked like ice cream floating in soda and it inspired him! What is in THIS black cow milkshake? Chocolate ice cream, rootbeer, and Kaluha.
A boozy black cow drink topped with dairy free whipped cream and a cherry.

Boozy Black Cow Drink

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 drink
Chocolate ice cream, rootbeer, and Kaluha; all delicious by themselves but blended together you get a creamy, frothy, boozy, and delicious frozen treat. What could be better than that? A dairy free version!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces Kaluha
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup root beer
  • 1 large scoop vegan chocolate ice cream
  • Dairy free whipped cream
  • Maraschino cherry

Instructions

  • Add Kaluha, root beer and ice cream to a blender and blend until smooth.
  • Pour milkshake into a chilled glass and top with dairy free whipped cream and a cherry.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcal Carbohydrates: 26g Protein: 0.1g Fat: 0.2g Cholesterol: 0.3mg Sodium: 12mg Fiber: 0.01g Sugar: 26g Vitamin C: 0.01mg

Melissa Belanger is the founder and food-obsessed visionary behind Simply Whisked, where she creates dairy free recipes with simple ingredients. She lives in Wisconsin with her milk-allergic husband and two kids. Melissa's experience in developing dairy free recipes is unparalleled and she strives to make dairy-free living accessible and enjoyable. In addition to running Simply Whisked, Melissa also manages two other publications: Another Cocktail Blog, a cocktail recipe website, and The Pasta Twins, a joint venture with her twin sister.