How to Make a Spider Drink (Classic Ice Cream Spider)

A spider is the Australian ice cream float. A scoop of vanilla ice cream in a tall glass, cold soft drink poured over it, and a thick foaming head that climbs the glass and tries to escape over the rim. It takes two minutes, two ingredients and no skill, which is why it has survived a century of milk bars and kids’ parties. This is the classic version, the flavour combinations that work, why it foams the way it does, how to stop it flooding the bench, and the one upgrade that turns it into a dessert, a cap of fresh whipped cream from a whipper.

What you need

1 or 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream, straight from the freezer
About 250ml of very cold soft drink. Creaming soda is the classic, then lemonade and cola
A tall glass, chilled in the freezer for ten minutes if you have time
Whipped cream to finish, optional but recommended
A long spoon and a straw

How to make a spider drink

Chill the glass. A cold glass foams less violently and the spider stays in it rather than on the bench.
Add the ice cream first. One scoop for a drink, two for a dessert. Drop it in gently so it sits in the bottom.
Pour the soft drink slowly down the inside of the glass, not straight onto the ice cream. Fill to about two-thirds and wait for the foam to settle before topping up.
Let it stand for thirty seconds. The head builds, the ice cream starts to melt into the drink, and the colour goes creamy.
Top with whipped cream and serve straight away with a spoon and a straw. The spoon is for the ice cream at the bottom, the straw is for the creamy middle.

Why it foams

Soft drink is water holding dissolved carbon dioxide under pressure. Ice cream is fat, sugar and a lot of tiny air bubbles. When the fizz hits the ice cream, the bubbles in the ice cream give the gas thousands of places to come out of solution at once, and the fat and milk proteins trap it as a foam instead of letting it fizz away. That foaming, webby head is the spider. Warm soft drink and a warm glass release the gas faster, which is why the drink overflows, and very cold everything keeps it under control.

The classic combinations

Spider	Soft drink	Ice cream	Notes
Creaming soda spider	Creaming soda (the pink one)	Vanilla	The original milk-bar version and the one most Australians picture
Coke spider	Coca-Cola	Vanilla	Darker, less sweet, the other classic. Chocolate ice cream turns it into a chocolate spider
Lemonade spider	Lemonade (Sprite, Schweppes)	Vanilla	Lighter and cleaner, the kids’ favourite
Orange spider	Fanta or Solo	Vanilla	Tastes like an orange Creamsicle in a glass
Ginger beer spider	Ginger beer	Vanilla	Spicier and more grown-up, good with a cap of cream
Lime spider	Lime cordial topped with soda water	Vanilla	The green one from school fetes, mix the cordial and soda first
Coffee spider	Cold brew or espresso topped with soda water	Vanilla or coffee	Halfway to an affogato, see our einspanner guide for the cream-topped coffee version

Finish it with whipped cream

A spider is a drink. A spider with a thick cap of cold whipped cream on top is a dessert, and the cream has a job to do beyond looking good, it sits on the foam and holds the fizz in so the drink stays lively longer. Cream from a whipper is the right kind, because it is firm enough to sit on top of the foam rather than sink into it, and because you can cap a dozen spiders in a minute at a party.

Whisk two tablespoons of icing sugar and half a teaspoon of vanilla into 500ml of cold pure cream or thickened cream.
Pour it into a 500ml whipper, screw on one 8g cream charger, shake four or five times and chill.
Build the spider, let the foam settle for thirty seconds, then hold the whipper upside down and pipe a swirl across the top.

Flavour the cream to match the drink. Chocolate whipped cream on a coke spider, matcha cream on a lemonade spider, and for the adults alcohol-infused whipped cream with Kahlúa over a coke spider or Baileys over a cream soda one. The cream keeps in the whipper for a week, so the leftover goes on tomorrow’s pancakes. If you are new to whippers, start with the how to make whipped cream guide.

Making spiders for a crowd

For a kids’ party or a hot afternoon, set up a spider bar rather than making them one at a time. Scoop the ice cream into chilled glasses on a tray and put the tray back in the freezer, line up two or three soft drinks in a bucket of ice, and let everyone pour their own. You pipe the cream. Ten spiders take about three minutes this way, and the only washing up is the whipper. A 500ml whipper caps around 15 to 20 spiders, and a box of 8g cream chargers is enough for a summer of them.

Troubleshooting

It overflows. The glass or the drink was warm, or you poured straight onto the ice cream. Chill both and pour down the side.
It does not foam much. Flat soft drink, or ice cream that has been out long enough to lose its air. Open a fresh bottle and use ice cream straight from the freezer.
The cream sinks. It was soft peaks from a bowl. Cream from a whipper, or cream whipped to firm peaks, sits on top.
The ice cream will not come out of the glass. That is the point of the spoon.

Questions people ask

What is a spider drink?

A spider is the Australian name for an ice cream float. A scoop of vanilla ice cream in a tall glass with cold soft drink poured over it, which foams into a thick creamy head. Creaming soda, lemonade and cola are the classic soft drinks.

How do you make a spider drink?

Chill a tall glass, add one or two scoops of vanilla ice cream, pour very cold soft drink slowly down the side of the glass to about two-thirds, let the foam settle, top up, and finish with whipped cream. Serve with a long spoon and a straw.

Why is it called a spider?

Nobody is certain. The usual explanation is the webby, creeping foam that climbs the glass when the fizz hits the ice cream. The name has been used in Australia and New Zealand since at least the early 1900s.

What is the difference between a spider and a float?

Nothing except the name. A spider in Australia is an ice cream float in the United States and Britain. A coke spider is a coke float.

What soft drink is best for a spider?

Creaming soda is the classic and the one most milk bars used. Lemonade is lighter and popular with kids, cola is the other traditional choice, and ginger beer makes a spicier adult version. Anything well carbonated and very cold works.

How do you stop a spider overflowing?

Use a chilled glass and very cold soft drink, add the ice cream first, and pour the drink slowly down the inside of the glass rather than onto the ice cream. Fill to two-thirds, let the head settle, then top up.

Can you make a spider with whipped cream?

Yes, and it is the best version. A cap of firm whipped cream from a cream whipper sits on the foam, holds the fizz in and turns the drink into a dessert. Flavour the cream to match, chocolate on a coke spider or Baileys cream for the adults.

The gear

The only equipment a spider needs is a glass. For the cream on top, a Skywhip Pro 500ml cream whipper and a pack of cream chargers does every spider, pancake and hot chocolate for the summer, and we deliver both across Melbourne in about 30 minutes. Food-grade N2O for culinary use, every order 18+.