Icy Soda
A Garden Birthday

A Garden Birthday

Cake, candles and cream sodas for every age

A long table under a pergola, a simple white cake with garden flowers, and a soda menu that works for six-year-olds and sixty-year-olds alike. Dessert-forward drinks, dressed up with sprinkle rims and cold foam.

Palette

The menu.

Birthday Cake: Cake-batter cream soda with a sprinkle rim.

Birthday Cake

Cake-batter cream soda with a sprinkle rim.

Cream Soda · Dessert · Kid-friendly

Strawberry Shortcake: Fresh strawberries, vanilla cream, shortbread rim.

Strawberry Shortcake

Fresh strawberries, vanilla cream, shortbread rim.

Lemon-Lime · Fruity · Dessert

Dirty Shirley: The kid-classic Shirley Temple, made dirty.

Dirty Shirley

The kid-classic Shirley Temple, made dirty.

Lemon-Lime · Classic · Kid-friendly

Root Beer Float-ish: Craft root beer, vanilla and a cold-foam cap.

Root Beer Float-ish

Craft root beer, vanilla and a cold-foam cap.

Root Beer · Classic · Dessert

Orange Dreamsicle: Blood orange soda, vanilla and sweet cream.

Orange Dreamsicle

Blood orange soda, vanilla and sweet cream.

Orange · Dessert · Creamy

Cherry Limeade: Tart lime, sweet cherry and crushed ice.

Cherry Limeade

Tart lime, sweet cherry and crushed ice.

Lemon-Lime · Fruity · Kid-friendly

Set it up

  1. 1

    Run linen down a long table and place bud vases of garden flowers every two feet.

  2. 2

    Set up a rim station with sprinkles, crushed shortbread and graham crumbs.

  3. 3

    Pre-froth cold foam in batches and keep it in the fridge in a pitcher.

  4. 4

    Give kids smaller glasses and let them choose their own rim.

Timeline

  1. Three days before

    Order sprinkles, cherries and glassware.

  2. The day before

    Bake or pick up the cake. Freeze mugs for root beer floats.

  3. Morning of

    Cut flowers, set the table, fill the ice bucket last.

  4. Cake time

    Serve Birthday Cake sodas with the candles. Obviously.

The calculator

How much do I need?

Drinks
50
Nugget ice
45lb
12 oz cans
55
Syrup bottles
6
Cream
2qt
Limes
13

Assumes 24 oz drinks, about an ounce of syrup each, and a fresh round every couple of hours. Nugget ice melts fast outdoors, so round up.

Shopping list

0/14 sorted

The gear.

Editor’s Pick$$$

GE Profile

Opal 2.0 Ultra Nugget Ice Maker

The countertop machine behind every great home soda bar. Soft, chewable nugget ice on demand, and it looks good on the counter.

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Glassware & Tumblers$

Libbey

Stemmed Fountain Glasses

Elegant footed glasses for cream sodas and dessert drinks.

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Glassware & Tumblers$

Libbey

Heavy Glass Mugs

Freeze them, fill them with root beer and cold foam. That's it.

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Ice & Appliances$

Zulay

Handheld Milk Frother

Thick, glossy cold foam in twenty seconds. The cheapest way to upgrade a drink.

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Entertaining & Décor$

Barfly

Three-Tier Glass Rimmer

Salt, sugar and crumbs in one tidy station.

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Set the table.

Entertaining & Décor$$

Solino Home

Natural Linen Tablecloth, 60×120

Relaxed, wrinkled and elegant. The backdrop for every soda bar.

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Entertaining & Décor$

Libbey

Glass Bud Vases, Set of 6

A single stem in each makes a table feel considered.

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Entertaining & Décor$$

Brightech

Outdoor Café String Lights

Warm, weatherproof and instantly romantic after sunset.

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Entertaining & Décor$

Aardvark

Jumbo Paper Straws

Sturdy, compostable straws for big parties.

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Entertaining & Décor$

Viski

Gold Art Deco Cocktail Picks

Reusable gold picks for cherries, berries and toasted marshmallows.

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