Sewer Soda

Sewer soda is the gleefully gross Halloween party drink that kids will request long after October. The name and presentation lean into the gross-out factor (chocolate syrup turning the soda murky, the ice cream chunks providing those luscious brown lumps the directions cheerfully describe), but underneath it’s just a chocolate float made with three ingredients in under five minutes.

Chocolate chip ice cream is the inspired choice over plain chocolate. The little flecks of chocolate chips suspended in the milky-brown soda look exactly like the kind of unfortunate things you might see floating in actual sewage, which is what makes it Halloween-table-ready. Three tablespoons of chocolate syrup turns the club soda properly murky, and the soft ice cream creates the foamy, slushy texture that makes any float so satisfying.

Serve with both a straw and a long spoon. The straw handles the soda layer and the spoon excavates the ice cream chunks at the bottom of the glass.

Kitchen Tips

• Let the ice cream soften at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping. Rock-hard ice cream is impossible to spoon and tears up your glassware.
• Pour the club soda slowly down the side of the glass to avoid foam-overs that send your sewer soda everywhere except into the glass.
• Use chilled club soda for the best fizz and the most dramatic foam reaction with the ice cream.
• For extra Halloween effect, drop a few green or red gummy worms into each glass before serving.

Variations

• Use mint chocolate chip ice cream and add a few drops of green food coloring for radioactive-sewage vibes.
• Substitute root beer for the club soda and skip the chocolate syrup for a classic root beer float disguised as something nasty.
• Top with a swirl of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry that looks suspiciously like an eyeball.