Beat the summer heat with a frosty treat

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Brooklynn Cookson makes a dip cone at Nottingham’s Southside Drive-in. Teddye Snell

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July 19, 2010

July is National Ice Cream Month, and is a perfect time for a chilly indulgence.

By TEDDYE SNELL Press Staff Writer The Tahlequah Daily Press Mon Jul 19, 2010, 10:32 AM CDT

TAHLEQUAH — A heat advisory has been issued this weekend for Green Country as temperatures rise above the century mark. What better time for ice cream?

July is National Ice Cream Month, and whether you prefer soft-serve, hand-dipped, homemade or buy the frosty concoction by the half-gallon, it’s still one of the most economical and satisfying treats going.

While vanilla, chocolate and strawberry top national lists as preferred ice cream flavors, former Tahlequah resident and Daily Press staffer Stacy Pratt’s tastes lean more toward the exotic.

“[My favorite ice cream flavor is] Haagen Daaz Vanilla Swiss Almond, because it is luxuriously creamy, and the almonds are covered in bitter dark chocolate,” she said. “It tastes ‘real,’ for lack of a better description.”

According to encyclopedia.com, the earliest form of ice cream – water ices – date back to the Roman Empire, and Marco Polo reported having iced, flavored foods in East Asia.

Jacob Fussell, of Baltimore, Md., was the first to manufacture ice cream on a large scale, and built his first ice-cream factory in Seven Valleys, Pa., in 1851.

Nottingham’s Southside Drive-in, a local favorite, provides area residents with tasty treats to beat the heat. According to Michelle Nofire, who has worked at Southside for over 10 years, ice cream is popular year -round.

“I know it’s strange, but people buy ice cream all year long,” said Nofire. “We really sell a lot when it snows.”

Nofire said the most popular item is the dip-top cone.

“It’s a soft-serve ice cream cone that’s dipped in chocolate,” said Nofire. “The chocolate hardens after it’s dipped. A lot of people like that one.”

Sarah Hart, assistant lifestyle editor for the Tulsa World and former Daily Press staffer, likes to mix and match her ice creams.

“[I like] peppermint and mint chocolate chip, preferably together,” said Hart.

Like Hart, Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director David Moore said he prefers mint chocolate chip.

“It tastes great whether it’s summer or winter,” said Moore. “The mint causes it to taste cool and refreshing with a little chocolate chip thrown in. You can’t go wrong with mint chocolate chip.”

Fort Gibson resident Kenny Boling loves orange Dreamsicle-flavored ice cream, as it conjures childhood memories.

“It reminds me of hot summers standing barefoot on hot pavement, buying ice cream from the Pinky Dinky man,” said Boling.

Patti Gulager enjoys fresh fruit in her ice cream.

“[My favorite flavor] is fresh peach,” said Gulager. “It just smells like summer and is so mellow and original.”

Cherae Sowder Stone, a former Tahlequah resident, likes more ice than cream, in her dessert.

“I love Daquiri Ice from Baskin-Robbins,” said Stone. “[It has a] beautiful aqua color, and a yummy, sweet-tart crispness. I prefer the ‘ice’ to the ‘cream.’ It tastes cleaner, somehow, and is more refreshing.”

Kimberlee Thomas said she’s not, in general, an “across-the-board cream lover,” but finds Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia amazing.

“Mmmmm, big, chunky, cold cherries and wonderfully delectable chunks of dark chocolate in an ice-creamy caress that makes you go ‘ahhh,’” said Thomas. “I think if you take a bite, it will speak for itself.”

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