Happy World Ice-Cream Day: Rachmaninoff’s Cherry Malted Milk Float
Sergei Rachmaninoff, Bain News Service
A hush settles. Something begins to rise—slowly, sweetly. Melodies curl like ribbons of syrup. Harmonies swell, thick as cream. Notes fizz at the edges, glinting a deep, iridescent red. You feel yourself lift, just slightly, as if floating in custard.
Is it music? A Rachmaninoff symphony?
No.
Sweet, fizzy, and unapologetically over the top. Vanilla ice cream swirled with cherries, dusted with malt powder, and crowned—if you wish, for dramatic effect—with a cherry: the cherry malted milk float.
July 20th is world ice-cream day, which feels like the right time to celebrate one of history’s most unexpected sweet tooths: Sergei Rachmaninoff, and his favourite dessert, the cherry malted milk float.
Rachmaninoff is remembered as a kind of walking thundercloud. A towering man with a face like “a six-and-a-half-foot scowl” (as Stravinsky once said), and hands so large they could easily span a thirteenth on the keyboard. His punctuality was mythic. He carried a gold pocket watch like a conductor’s baton, arriving everywhere to the minute. If a concert began at 8:30, he arrived at precisely 8 and stepped onstage at 8:30. If a reporter asked for two minutes of his time, he gave exactly two — no more.
But despite the stern exterior, Rachmaninoff had a soft gelato-y centre. In a report from around 1940, his concert routine is detailed. He refused to speak about politics or death. His famously large hands were also kept exceedingly supple, avoiding firm handshakes and warming them with an electric muff before concerts. Those tender (and very expensive) hands were also insured by Lloyd’s of London. His wife, Natalia, always supported from the wings as he played a concert, and afterwards she would feed back how it went. And perhaps most importantly, post-concert, he would indulge in his favourite drink. You guessed it: the cherry malted-milk float.
Sweet treats seemingly held a strong place in Rachmaninoff’s heart. It is how he showed affection when, after hearing of Stravinsky’s affinity for honey, he showed up at Stravinsky’s door, unannounced, with a jar of honey and no further explanation. Similarly, the cherry malted milk float, or soda floats more generally, uncovers a subtle, but poignant, story of Rachmaninoff, who emigrated from Russia, coming to feel at home in the US. Rachmaninoff was Russian to the core but left due to the political turmoil that would lead to the Russian revolution, eventually ending up in the US in 1918. For me, his love of the soda float, so popular and emblematic of American diner culture, represents something deeper about Rachmaninoff’s relationship to the States. In this creamy dessert, he found a home away from home.
So, to honour World Ice-Cream Day — and to get a little closer to the dessert Rachmaninoff couldn’t resist — I set out to make my own cherry malted milk float. Spoiler: I think I’ve found the path to eternal greatness.
Ingredients
For the ice cream:
400ml double cream
125ml whole milk
4 egg yolks
1 vanilla pod (or a splash of vanilla extract)
90g caster sugar, plus 2 tablespoons (divided separately)
300g fresh cherries, halved and pitted
Juice of half a lemon
(You will also need an ice-cream churner)
To assemble:
Cherry soda (store bought or homemade)
- If homemade:
Seltzer water, blended fresh cherry juice
A sprinkle of malted-milk powder
Optional maraschino or fresh cherry to top
Method
Step 1: Making the custard base
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the 90g of sugar until pale and fluffy. Meanwhile, heat the cream, milk, and vanilla in a heavy-bottomed pan until just about to boil.
Slowly pour the hot liquid into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent scrambling. Then return everything to the pan and gently heat on low, stirring continuously, until it thickens slightly — just before boiling.
Pour into a container and let cool, then transfer to the fridge until completely chilled.
Step 2: Making the cherry swirl
Place the halved cherries in a saucepan with the 2 tablespoons of sugar and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Cook over medium-high heat until the cherries soften and begin to break down — jammy but still with some texture. Transfer to a container. Let it cool, then chill in the fridge.
Step 3: Churning and swirling
Place a clean empty container (large enough to hold the finished ice cream) into the freezer. Once your custard base is fully chilled, churn it according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.
When ready, transfer to your frozen container and quickly swirl through the cooled cherry mixture — don’t overmix, you want bright streaks of cherry. Freeze until firm.
Assembling the float
To build your float, you’ll need:
A scoop (or two) of your homemade cherry ice cream (you may want to let this sit out of the freezer and soften up for just a minute or two)
Cherry soda (homemade or shop-bought)
Malted milk powder
Optional: a maraschino or fresh cherry for flair
If you’re going DIY the soda, just mix fizzy water with cherry juice to taste.
Pour soda into a tall glass, leaving space at the top. Carefully add a scoop or two of ice cream — it should bob up and float. Top with more soda if needed. Sprinkle over a little malted milk powder. Add a cherry if you’re feeling theatrical.
Consume as you please. Preferably somewhere dramatic, like the wings of a concert hall.
