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When I was a kid, I had so many fond memories of A&W® Root Beer. Both of my parents spent some time working at an A&W restaurant in my hometown. When I got the chance to work on a post with them, I knew I had to jump on it. It was so fun to take a walk down memory lane with my parents and celebrate A&W Root Beer’s 100th anniversary in the process.
To celebrate A&W Root Beer’s 100th anniversary, I decided to make some delicious, chocolate cupcakes and revisit a childhood favorite of mine–root beer floats. If you’ve never had a root beer float before, don’t worry–I’ll show you how to make those too. Do you need more inspiration on how to celebrate A&W Root Beer’s anniversary? Check out some of my other blog friends and how they included A&W Root Beer in their favorite recipes.
But first, let’s take a trip back down memory lane.
Some Of Our Favorite A&W Memories
Like I said, both my parents worked in an A&W restaurant together when I was growing up. My parents had a job there and occasionally going to the store where they worked were some of my earliest memories. It was great chatting with my parents about their time there.
My dad worked behind the grill at an A&W restaurant for over five years, so I have many memories of eating there during my childhood. A&W Root Beer floats were one of my favorite things to get. Although, I loved the chili cheese fries they used to serve too.
My mom reminisced on how lovely it was to see how an A&W Root Beer float could change her customer’s whole day. She said that often customers would come in the restaurant who hadn’t had a root beer float in years. The customers would share their A&W memories with their kids and get to taste a float together.
These memories connected families, generations, friends, and more. My mother even talked about how people who had lost their loved ones would come in for a float and be reminded of their childhood and the people they still loved.
With a brand that’s been around as long as A&W Root Beer, it’s no wonder it can connect so many people across the country and the world. I cannot wait to share these memories with my family one day.
Now, that we’ve gone down memory lane, let’s get into the summer cupcake party details.
How I’m Recreating My A&W Memories
To get into the spirit of A&W Root Beer, I wanted to create a summer cupcake party for my parents. While cupcakes weren’t something that reminded me of my childhood, I have been on a baking kick lately, so I thought making root beer cupcakes was the perfect way to modernize my memories and bring them up to speed with my life.
To throw it back, we also made some delicious mini A&W Root Beer Floats that were perfect. My mom remarked on how much it took her back to have them during our party.
Need some inspiration to recreate your A&W Root Beer memories? I encourage you to check out this link for tons of inspiration from other bloggers.
How To Make Chocolate Ganache Root Beer Cupcakes
Before you begin making cupcakes, be sure to stop by your local Walmart for all the ingredients you need. Shopping at Walmart is so quick and convenient, and it’s the perfect place to pick up all of your A&W products. I was easily able to pick up all the supplies I needed for this post from Walmart.
A&W Root Beer Cupcakes Supplies
For The Cupcakes:
- 1 box of cake mix (I chose chocolate!)
- 1 & ¼ Cup Of A&W Root Beer
- 3 Eggs
- ½ Cup Vegetable Oil
For The Chocolate Ganache Frosting:
- 12 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 & ¼ Cup Heavy Cream
For The Topping:
- Orange Candy Melts
- Rainbow Sprinkles
Other Extras:
Cupcake Liners (I used gold and black)
A&W Root Beer Cupcakes Directions
- Mix your cake mix using the measurements I’ve laid out in the cupcakes supplies section.
- Add your cupcake liners to your cupcake pans, fill the liners about ¾ of the way up.
- Bake your cupcakes according to the directions on the cake box.
- Once you can insert a wooden toothpick in the middle of your cupcakes, and they come out clean, let them cool.
- While your cupcakes are cooling, start on the frosting.
- Heat your heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl or on the stove top.
- Add your heated heavy cream over your butter and semi-sweet chocolate chips in a big mixing bowl. Don’t stir it right away! Let it sit for five minutes.
- Stir your mixture until it’s smooth, and let it rest for an hour, while it cools to room temperature.
- Use a hand mixer, stand mixer, or a whisk to whip the ganache frosting until it fluffs up.
- Add your chocolate ganache frosting into a piping bag if you’d like, or use a spoon to pipe it onto your cooled cupcakes.
- Set your cupcakes in the fridge to cool and set.
- When you’re ready, melt your orange candy melts.
- Drizzle your melted candy over your chocolate ganache frosting.
- Let your cupcakes set up again in the fridge, so your candy melts don’t melt your frosting.
- Once that’s cooled, add a few sprinkles for good measure (if you’d like!)
How To Make The Perfect A&W Root Beer Float
We decided that a party celebrating A&W Root Beer would never be complete without a float. We picked up these adorable, small clear glasses that would be perfect for some mini-float action. Want to host your own party to celebrate A&W Root Beer’s 100th anniversary? Get cups, some ice cream, and some cold A&W Root Beer.
- Add some A&W Root Beer to your cup of choice.
- Add a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream to your glass.
- Top it off with a little more root beer.
- Enjoy with a spoon for a tasty summer treat.
Some of my fondest A&W memories revolve around drinking a root beer float, so I would say that this is a must have at any party devoted to celebrating A&W Root Beer.
Everything Else You Need To Celebrate A&W Root Beer’s 100th Anniversary
I finished off this table with a lot of refreshing A&W Root Beer. Do you need a quick, cute way to fill up a table? Grab your favorite decorative bowl, fill it with ice, and add some of your favorite A&W Root Beer to the mix. Creating this bowl/cooler combo was a fun way to show off our root beer that will keep it nice and cold during the summer heat.
We added a few colorful stones to our table to fill up any white space, plus you can spell things with the rocks. I don’t think we got a good picture of it, but my dad spelled out A&W on one side with the stones.
Of course, this A&W Root Beer celebration wouldn’t be complete without my mother joining in the fun with me. We had such a blast listening to music outside, eating cupcakes, and drinking our root beer floats.
Here’s To 100 More Years Of A&W Root Beer
I can’t imagine my childhood without A&W Root Beer in it. I am so thankful that I got to share a little bit of my family and our history with you today on the blog. I know that A&W Root Beer is going to be around for a long while, so here is a toast to A&W Root Beer.
Do you want to host your summer cupcake party? Be sure to head to Walmart for all the supplies you need to make this party a reality. I loved picking up everything there. They made it so easy to get everything I needed for this perfect summer party and recipe.
If cupcakes aren’t your thing or you want more recipes to add to your A&W Root Beer party, check out some inspiration from some of my other blog friends!
