what to do with all this cream soda?

January 11, 2009 7:06 PM

I meant to buy root beer, but grabbed the wrong thing and came home with cream soda. What can I do with it?

It's too sweet and bland for my taste. Can I add something to it to make it more drinkable? Or, can I cook with it somehow? Or am I better off just finding someone who likes cream soda and giving it to them?

posted by Meg_Murry to Food & Drink (28 answers total)

Best answer: Glaze a Ham with it, Coke style.

Make floats.

Experiment with adding it to a scone recipe instead of lemonade.
posted by lottie at 7:11 PM on January 11, 2009

I'm sure there are recipes for it, but I can't imagine that they'd be any good. As you say, it's sweet and bland.

Find somebody who likes it... or, just leave it in your pantry and try to pawn it off on guests.

You could also send it to me, if it's boutique stuff. If it's just A&W, even I don't want it.
posted by Netzapper at 7:13 PM on January 11, 2009

My initial thought when reading the question was to just drink it. But after seeing that you don't like it, I would find someone who does and see if they'll buy a root beer and trade with you.
posted by theichibun at 7:14 PM on January 11, 2009

1. Invent a mixed drink which has cream soda as a key ingredient. I suggest something with rum.
2. Throw a party.
posted by box at 7:17 PM on January 11, 2009

If you like vanilla flavors but this is just too sweet, try mixing it with vanilla vodka over ice.
posted by ersatzkat at 7:19 PM on January 11, 2009

Box beat me to it. Rum. Yes.
posted by Grlnxtdr at 7:23 PM on January 11, 2009

Response by poster: So no one has an old family recipe where cream soda is the secret ingredient to delicious... cake? meatloaf? something? Oh well. I guess I'll have to have friends over... sigh. :)

Thanks!
posted by Meg_Murry at 7:35 PM on January 11, 2009

Methinks mixer! Maybe muddle fresh ginger with lime, add rum, a splash of pineapple juice, and the cream soda. Might be great.

I think there might be promise with bourbon as well; it could taste nice with the vanilla cream soda flavor. Ooh, with a touch of orange juice you'd have something like a bourbony creamsicle. Regardless, a little citrus to cut the sweetness with some acid is probably a good idea.
posted by mostlymartha at 7:37 PM on January 11, 2009

You could try some of these.
posted by PercussivePaul at 7:37 PM on January 11, 2009

If the offending soda is in a can, you can do a virgin Beer Can Chicken. It's not exactly a family recipe, but I made it more than once in college. If you want to go all trans-continental, the vanilla soda would probably go well with an Herbes de Provance rub. Serve it with Freedom Fries.

I also thing an ancho chili rub would work nicely. You can play around.
posted by abirae at 7:46 PM on January 11, 2009

Cream soda and vodka.
posted by zephyr_words at 7:48 PM on January 11, 2009

Return it.
posted by Dick Paris at 7:52 PM on January 11, 2009 [1 favorite]

My boyfriend and I tried mixing drinks with cream soda last year (we both love it), but nothing really worked. I would make floats or offer it to someone else.
posted by OLechat at 8:07 PM on January 11, 2009

Best answer: Make your own variation of the Coca-Cola Fudge Cake!

And while googling for the cola cake recipe, I found this archive of Coca Cola recipes. No reason you can't use cream soda in most of them, I imagine.
posted by Bella Sebastian at 8:31 PM on January 11, 2009

If you like vanilla flavors but this is just too sweet, try mixing it with vanilla vodka over ice.
posted by ersatzkat at 9:19 PM on January 11 [+] [!]

This is actually exactly what I was going to suggest. It's really tasty.
posted by baphomet at 8:31 PM on January 11, 2009

I'm with Dick Paris why not just take it back and get what you want?
posted by toomuchpete at 8:47 PM on January 11, 2009

Mix the Cream Soda with Goldschlagger, which is essentially cinnamon schnapps with flecks of gold floating in it. Tastes like liquid Big Red...
posted by Pleadthefifth at 8:52 PM on January 11, 2009

Just checked foodtv.com and found an amaretto float recipe that sounds yummy! I also found one for apple-raisin bread pudding, but I think Sandra Lee's recipes are somewhat suspect.
posted by ValkoSipuliSuola at 9:34 PM on January 11, 2009

You can return it (unopened, with receipt) to the store and get your money back or store credit...
posted by jschu at 9:40 PM on January 11, 2009

Best answer: I did a bit more searching and most of the recipes I found were for drinks (like this caramel apple pie martini) and floats.

This pancake recipe looks promising. It essentially replaces all the liquid with cream soda, so I imagine they come out sweeter and fluffier because of the carbonation.

This peach cobbler recipe is intriguing as well. It's just a can of peaches, a half can of cream soda and a box of yellow cake mix. Add some cinnamon and butter and you're done. It's meant to be cooked over a camp fire, but I imagine it would work on a barbecue grill. Heck, an oven might work, too.
posted by ValkoSipuliSuola at 10:05 PM on January 11, 2009

This thread is trying to maximize the fuss/problem ratio -- maybe even surpassing the "Can I eat it, or do I have to throw it out?" questions of yore. Of course, it's hard to tell the true enormity of the problem. Are we talking about one cream soda, or one six pack? Opened or unopened?

Functionally, I think you already have your answer is: spill it on AskMe.

Practically, I think you should avoid going out and purchasing Goldschlagger or anything like that, for risk of compounding the problem.
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 10:08 PM on January 11, 2009

Ooh, another idea: offer on Craigslist to swap it for some root beer. You may need to dip below a 1:1 exchange.
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 10:10 PM on January 11, 2009

Return it. I have seen people return meat to the grocery store.

(Which is a whole 'nother thing that scared the hell out of me, but there you go.)
posted by rokusan at 11:05 PM on January 11, 2009

Lychee liquor + cream soda + vodka + lemon juice?
posted by pseudostrabismus at 11:34 PM on January 11, 2009

If you have Campari or bitters in the house, I'd try the cream soda with a little of that, and maybe a little lemon juice. Bitter/sweet/sour might beat sweet/foamy.
posted by abirae at 5:25 AM on January 12, 2009

Best answer: Take a box of cake mix (probably vanilla or "yellow"), add can of cream soda, bake according to package directions. I have a friend at work that does this with diet sodas and cake mixes of all types, and she swears it works. No eggs, no oil, just the soda.

I thought it was crazy at first until I remembered my beer bread recipe - flour, sugar, beer are the only ingredients.
posted by misskaz at 7:13 AM on January 12, 2009

Best answer: What about a reinterpretation of Mark Bittman's take on vietnamese cooking: Beef in Caramelized Sugar. I've cooked tofu and shrimp with the same glaze and they come out delicious. I've tried the recipe with old coke instead of sugar and it works, though it takes a long time to reduce soda. A big flat pan would probably be fastest.

1. place soda, sliced onions, (a lot of) ground pepper, and star anise in frying pan
2. reduce, reduce, reduce (15 min or so)
3. add protein, saute
4. delicious!
posted by abirae at 7:45 AM on January 12, 2009

Response by poster: Thanks everyone! It was a 6-pack of Dr. Brown's, and I didn't notice it wasn't root beer (the can is brown! like root beer!) until I'd opened one...
posted by Meg_Murry at 10:20 AM on January 12, 2009