From the Ice Cream Float to the Sundae.

Before the sundae was created, ice cream sodas were all the rage. But then came the ban on sodas on Sundays. Read about the brief sundae history and the multiple claims to its origin.

Ice Cream Sundae History & Possible Origins

Origins and Inspiration from Limitation
Before the creation and popularity of the ice cream sundae was the love for the ice cream soda, also known as the ice cream float. In the late 1800s, times were different and religious bans on Sundays were implemented with the Blue Laws. First with liquor, and soon after with sodas.

No sodas on Sundays?? And yet ice cream lovers still wanted to cool down with a sweet treat. Enter, the chocolate sauce.

Rather than defying the ban and having prohibition ice cream floats, pharmacies (the ice cream shops at the time) replaced sodas with chocolate sauce and fruit syrups. They called it Sundae instead of Sunday to honor its origins.

 
Disputed Origins
While the history of why the sundae was created is certain, it is unclear as to where exactly the first ice cream sundae was made as there are multiple claims to its origins. And each one replaced soda with chocolate or fruit syrup.

This includes Two Rivers, Wisconsin in 1881 with their addition of chocolate syrup, as well as Plainfield, Illinois, and Evanston, Illinois in 1890. In New York, Ithaca added cherry syrup and cherries in 1893 while Buffalo included fruit syrup and whipped cream in 1889.

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