We All Scream for…
By Michelle Doerr
It’s hard to make ice cream any better than it already is. All of the perfect elements are there from the beginning: cream, sugar, frozenness…. Barely any additions are necessary. But, when you find your favorite boozy drink put into ice cream form, perfection itself has just been one upped.
I guess I should be a little ashamed that many (many) people know what my favorite libation is and could answer that question as easily and casually as if someone asked what my last name is. But, I’m not ashamed. Probably because I tell myself, “At least my favorite drink isn’t Franzia or some wine cooler.”
No. My favorite drink – introduced to me by my sister while in England – is Baileys and cream. Over ice. Cool, oddly refreshing (depending on your Baileys to cream ratio), and sweet. And seeing as I like my drinks sweet (who am I kidding: I like my everything sweet), Baileys and cream is like dessert in a glass. So, you can imagine my awe and utter joy when I discovered that Haagen Dazs, the German Chancellor of ice cream, had created Baileys Irish Cream flavored ice cream.
That first bite was…..pause-worthy. (I may have closed my eyes for a second in that moment.) The texture was as smooth as crème brulee, but with the chill of ice cream, of course. It was just the right amount of sweetness without overdoing it, and even the color was delicious; like the color of a creamy latte. Just perfect.
There is a sad end to this dessert story, however. Now, this particular flavor was seasonal. That was slightly upsetting, until I started to understand and appreciate that something so spectacularly, melt in your mouth delicious really did deserve to be seen as the rare treasure that it was. (Yes: “Was.” You’re picking up on the tragic end of the story.) It was always a challenge to find this flavor in stores, and then one year, I just couldn’t find it and missed out on having it that winter season. And then, it turned into every year, not being able to find it.
I’ve come to the sad realization that, apparently, other people just didn’t value Haagen Dazs’s rendition of Bailey’s Irish Cream the way I did. It seems it’s gone the way of Whistle Pops and Twinkies. Oh, wait – those came back. Well, I have my memories, at least. And the brilliant idea of pouring some Bailey’s over vanilla ice cream. You’re welcome to that idea.
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