Blood Orange Champagne Ice Cream Float

From the kitchen of Carly

Blood orange sorbet meets a sophisticated boozy float: Champagne syrup, vermouth, Campari, and soda water shake together into something at once bright, bitter, and elegantly fizzy. Chill the glass and pour over sorbet for a grown-up dessert that tastes like a cocktail.

Blood Orange Champagne Ice Cream Float

Blood orange and Champagne syrup sing together over sorbet in this four-ingredient cocktail float that tastes like a boozy dessert and feels completely restrained. The vermouth and Campari add a soft, bittersweet edge that keeps the whole thing from tipping into pure sugar. Shake everything but the sorbet, pour over ice cream, and you're done in five minutes.

Prep
n/a
Cook
n/a
Total
n/a
Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 3 tsp15ml Champagne or sparkling wine
  • 115g caster or superfine sugar
  • 5 tsp25ml Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
  • 3 tsp15ml Campari
  • 135ml soda water
  • 2scoops of orange sorbet, preferably blood orange
  • 1A slice of orange (use blood orange
  • 1if in season)

Instructions

  1. Pour the 15ml of Champagne or sparkling wine into a small pan and bring to a gentle simmer, cooking until reduced by a third. Stir in the caster sugar until it fully dissolves, then set aside to cool completely.

  2. Combine the vermouth, Campari, Champagne syrup, and soda water in a small shaker and shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Drop 2 scoops of sorbet into a chilled float glass, pour the shaken liquid over the top, and finish with a slice of orange.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Reduce that Champagne properly, about a third of the volume, so it concentrates instead of just diluting when it cools. Flat Champagne works just as well as fresh, so don't waste a good bottle.
  • Chill your float glass in the freezer while you shake the liquid. Warm glassware will melt the sorbet before you even pour.
  • Make a batch of the Champagne syrup on Sunday and keep it covered in the fridge. It stays good for weeks and means you can throw these together anytime without heating anything up.

Variations

  • Swap blood orange sorbet for raspberry or strawberry if that's what's in your freezer. The vermouth and Campari play well with red fruit.
  • Skip the Campari and double the vermouth for something gentler and less bitter, closer to a Negroni float.
  • Use prosecco instead of Champagne syrup if you want something lighter and more playful, though reduce it the same way.

Make ahead and storage

There's no storing this one. It's a drink meant to be consumed right now, as soon as the pour hits the sorbet. Any leftovers go flat and separate within minutes.