Matcha Float: Part Drink, Part Dessert

A float is a tall glass with a scoop of ice cream resting on a sparkling drink, somewhere between soda and an ice cream sundae. With matcha, it's one of our favorite cold matcha recipes when warm weather returns. The tea stays fresh and lightly vegetal, the vanilla slowly melts into the bubbles, and between sips you can catch a little ice cream with a spoon.

You'll need 5 minutes and about 1 tsp (2 g) matcha for one tall glass. The secret is the order of assembly, with the ice cream always last.

• Preparation 5 minutes, with no cooking or resting
• Makes 1 tall glass
• Tools a sieve, a small jar with a lid, a measuring cup, a tall glass, and an ice cream scoop

We always add the ice cream last so it sits clearly above the drink. A float can't wait. Drink and eat it as soon as it's assembled, before the scoop melts.

Ingredients for a tall glass

• About 1 tsp (2 g) matcha
• About 1 1/3 fl oz (40 ml) cold water to mix the matcha
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) well-chilled sparkling water
• 1.4 oz (40 g) ice cubes
• 2.5 oz (70 g) vanilla ice cream (one generous scoop)

How to assemble a matcha float

1. Sift about 1 tsp (2 g) matcha into a clean, dry small jar.
2. Add about 1 1/3 fl oz (40 ml) cold water, close the jar, and shake vigorously for 20 seconds.
3. Put 1.4 oz (40 g) ice cubes in a tall glass, then pour in 1/2 cup (120 ml) well-chilled sparkling water.
4. Gently pour the mixed matcha over it.
5. Set the scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and serve at once with a spoon.

Choose a glass wide enough for the scoop to rest on the surface. In a glass that's too narrow, you'll push it down into the sparkling water and lose part of the float's appeal.

Float or milkshake: what's the difference?

It's all about the ice cream. The scoop in a float stays whole and rests on the drink. It isn't blended with the tea, unlike our matcha milkshake, where ice cream, milk, and matcha are blended until creamy.

Ways to vary the drink

For an all-purple float, put 0.7 oz (20 g) ube purée at the bottom of the glass before the ice. Ube is a purple yam popular in the Philippines, with a mild vanilla-and-hazelnut flavor. Use a purée that's already cooked and ready to eat.

Prefer something richer? Replace the ube with 0.7 oz (20 g) applesauce and 1 tsp (5 ml) caramel sauce. Caramel rounds out matcha's bitterness, a pairing we particularly like in fall.

For a float that doesn't get watered down, replace the ice with matcha ice cubes, which flavor the drink as they melt instead of diluting it.

Which matcha belongs in a float?

Here, vanilla and bubbles take up plenty of room. You need matcha that stays noticeable without turning bitter. We like Jade matcha in this float: round and creamy, it brings cocoa notes that go well with vanilla. Taste a sip of the matcha mixture before assembling the glass, and you'll know exactly what it adds.

Our tip. Take the ice cream out of the freezer at the last moment. Firm, it stays in a neat layer rather than spreading across the bubbles.

Allergens. Ice cream generally contains milk and eggs. Check the label of the one you choose.