Sweet of the Week: Rainbow Soda at Finnigan's Ice Cream Parlor

Question: what is the perfect snack to follow up a journey below the earth's surface into a defunct mine shaft? Answer: ice cream floats obviously. A trip to the Museum of Science and Industry isn't complete without completely and utterly immersing yourself in the guilt-inducing world of chicken tenders, french fries, and embarrassing portions of ice cream, all capturing the essence of food court-style glory in stark contrast to all the wholesome scientific discoveries about the human body you're learning at the museum. But when in Rome. On a recent trip to the museum, one of my favorites in town, I rewarded myself for surviving a mine shaft exhibit and a Tron-like mirror maze with a trip to nostalgia-packed Finnigan's Ice Cream Parlor. The fruits of my labor: rainbow soda. 

(Rainbow soda at Finnigan's)

Finnigan's Ice Cream Parlor is exactly what you want after a day spent traversing the museum and embracing your inner explorer. Looking like it's been freshly plucked right out of Disney World's Main Street, the Americana parlor is filled with sweet classics like sundaes, scoops, shakes, and floats. You can go the traditional route with something brownie-based or fudge-heaped, but I like to venture beyond the norm with something a tad more outre. Like the rainbow soda, an offbeat float packed with vanilla ice cream, rainbow sherbet, and soda. Unlike root beer floats, which meld together forming a rich and dense dessert-beverage hybrid, this one feels quite a bit lighter and cleaner. The sharp tang of the soda water preserves its body without filling up into one big melted sherbet slushie. Each sip or spoonful offers juxtaposing flavors and textures through the fizzy pop, the fruity sherbet, and the silky ice cream. A little goes a long way, making it hard to finish an entire glass of this thing, but a splash is all I need to fuel up for more adventures. 

- Matt Kirouac