Floats are a beverage line introduced by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group

Dr Pepper Snapple Group

Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. is an American soft drink company, based in Plano, Texas.It was spun off from Britain's Cadbury Schweppes, on May 5, 2008, with trading in its shares starting on May 7, 2008...

 in January 2008. Two flavors are available, A&W

A&W Root Beer

A&W Root Beer is a brand of root beer, primarily available in the United States and Canada, that was started in 1919 by Roy Allen. In 1922, Allen partnered with Frank Wright. They combined their initials to create the brand "A&W" and inspired a restaurant chain which was founded 1922. The first A&W...

 Float and Sunkist

Sunkist (soft drink)

Sunkist is a brand of primarily orange flavored soft drinks launched in 1979.Sunkist was first licensed by Sunkist Growers to the General Cinema Corporation, the leading independent bottler of Pepsi-Cola products at the time...

 Float. The purpose of the concept is to mimic the flavor of an ice cream float

Ice cream soda

An ice cream soda or float , coke float , or spider , is a beverage that consists of one or more scoops of ice cream in either a soft drink or in a mixture of flavored syrup and carbonated water.-Origins:The ice cream soda was invented by Robert M...

 of a given soda

Soft drink

A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...

. Thus, the A&W flavor is intended to taste like a root beer float while the latter is comparable to an orange

Orange (fruit)

An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....

 creamsicle or Sunkist float.

The products' development was long-winded according to the official Floats website. As to whether or not Floats include genuine A&W Root Beer or Sunkist, the site simply regards the formula as "proprietary" and notes that the aforementioned flavors were "critical" in its development. The drinks are creamy in nature and contain little carbonation

Carbonation

Carbonation is the process of dissolving carbon dioxide in water. The process usually involves carbon dioxide under high pressure. When the pressure is reduced, the carbon dioxide is released from the solution as small bubbles, which cause the solution to "fizz." This effect is seen in carbonated...

, no caffeine

Caffeine

Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...

, and are considered kosher. Ingredients include skim milk, cream

Cream

Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, over time, the lighter fat rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators"...

, and nitrous oxide

Nitrous oxide

Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic...

 to create foam

Foam

-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...

. While it is recommended that they be served chilled, refrigeration of Floats is not mandatory. Available in 11.5-ounce, vintage soda-shop-inspired glass bottles with twist-off tops, Floats are sold at major US retail, grocery, and convenience stores.

Marketing

The product's first press release was issued on January 2, 2008, which included bottle design photos, suggested retail prices, and other information. However, the official Floats.com website, which was mentioned in the release, would not be accessible until mid-January 2008. This caused significant criticism toward the brand's marketing strategy.

In the press release, Andrew Springate, vice president of marketing, stated:

"For years, beverage makers have tried to crack the code and develop an indulgent drink that tastes like a homemade float... The A&W and Sunkist Floats are indulgent treats like nothing consumers have experienced before; one pour and your taste buds will be amazed - no work, no hassle."

Reception

According to Cadbury Schweppes

Cadbury Schweppes

Cadbury is a confectionery company owned by Kraft Foods and is the industry's second-largest globally after Mars, Incorporated. Headquartered in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom, the company operates in more than 50 countries worldwide....

, "the Floats concept was one of the highest scoring product ideas from our Discovery Innovation Group. This group is challenged to find and create new ideas across our brand portfolio." On the contrary, however, while consumer opinions of the drinks have been mixed, the majority appear to be negative. Criticism often includes the drinks' overly sweet and artificial tastes, sheer thickness, and failure at simulating the taste of a genuine ice cream float. Of the two flavors, the A&W Float appears to receive slightly more reproach than Sunkist, notably for its caramel

Caramel

Caramel is a beige to dark-brown confection made by heating any of a variety of sugars. It is used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, and as a topping for ice cream, custard and coffee....

-like flavor and lack of root beer likeness.