Ridiculously Good News from Zingers!

In This Issue:

• Cycles
• Can We Get 1000?
• March Schedule
• Monthly Flavor Report
• Contact Info and COUPON!

CYCLES

Last month I mentioned an ice cream flavor, described thusly: aromatic and tangy with spiced beets and blood oranges, add a splash of soda spiked with a secret blend of herbs and spices known for their aphrodisiac qualities, and top it off with hints of ginger, chile (sic), and cardamom. I said it was a real flavor, and it is (technically, its a sorbet, not an ice cream). But I digress.

If you know history, you know about cycles. Take the automobile – when it was new, the fact that it did what it did (transport people without horses) was enough to get folks talking. Soon, they added a few frills like automatic starting and a roof. Then price was the issue, as the Model T meant almost anyone could afford one. Then style made its debut, then safety, then speed, then style again, then speed, then performance, economy, style, gas mileage, style, performance, featureswell, you get the idea. Theres always something different, even when something different is something weve seen before.

The history of ice cream runs similar cycles. The dessert was initially only for those who could afford it and it came in any flavor you wanted, as long as it was vanilla. Advances in refrigeration meant ice cream for the masses, then sundaes and sodas and more. Flavors like Rocky Road came into being in the 20s as did making ice cream at home, and then economy was the big deal in the depression era.

I found this old recipe booklet put out by the Jello people, touting their Ice Cream Powder which allowed one to make four delicious flavors at home simply, easily, and affordably. Its simple – just mix the powder with sugar, milk, and cream, and freeze! Ice cream was a stay-at-home treat for a number of years, until after World War Two. Then, things went crazy.

Soft-serve stands appeared in every town, large and small – Fancy Freeze, Tasty Swirl, Mr. Drippy. The first wave of small Mom & Pop homemade shops sprang up, offering dozens of flavors like Butterscotch Ripple and Tin Roof (my two favorites as a kid). Then ice cream got even fancier – Good Humor bars, Farrells parlors, Ben & Jerry. Then frozen yogurt was the craze of the 80s, then gelato, then frozen yogurt (again), and now its artisan ice creams in the second wave of small homemade shops.

For me, its a shame that the main feature the press focuses on when they talk about these ice cream shops is the funky flavors rather than the quality. They could mention how the new handmade ice creams are a cut above the stuff that comes from the factory (cost-cutting conglomerates that they are). The press loves to talk about how new stores create fantastic flavors using foodstuffs like bacon, cracked pepper, bleu cheese, balsamic vinegar, and bourbon (no, not all in the same flavor). You get the idea. Vanilla and Chocolate dont get much ink unless theyre fused with honeycomb, sea salt, plantains, jackfruit, vermouth, or rose petals.

Every now and then someone asks us if were making any new flavors, and they wonder if were going the wacky way with star-fruit, persimmons, garlic, blood oranges, or basil-lime-chutney. Nah. The weirdest flavor I think weve ever done is the Honey Grape-Nuts ice cream we had back a few years ago. And this is the truth – the booklet shown above has a section on glorious ice creams – variations of their basic four flavors. Theres Tutti-Frutti, Chocolate Mousseand Grape-Nuts! So everything old IS new again. Wheeeeee!

CAN WE GET TO 1000?

Its kind of a silly thing, but I have a goal of obtaining 1,000 Likes on our Facebook page. It doesnt win me anything other than a warm feeling, but it seems entirely doable this year. Too ambitious? Do the math – we have more than 2,000 names on this email newsletter list, and we already have about 250 Likes as of this writing. Still, we have a ways to go.

So, if you havent Liked us yet on Facebook, take a moment and punch that button. If youre not on Facebook, get your kids to do it (and you KNOW theyre on Facebook). Thanks.

MARCH SCHEDULE

The standard weekend schedule is in play for most of the month:

Friday Saturday: 1pm to 8pm

Sunday: 1pm to 6pm

Spring Break is the last week of the month, and well be open daily, with extended hours:

Sunday through Thursday: 1pm to 8pm

Friday & Saturday: 1pm to 9pm

MONTHLY FLAVOR REPORT

Were starting out with the same 24 flavors we began the year with, but by the time Spring Break rolls around, well make some changes. Cinnamon, Licorice, Lotaberries, and Maple Walnut will go on hiatus, and well move in Aztec Chocolate, Raspberry Chocolate Chip, Danish Sweet Cream, White Chocolate Chip andmaybe something else. Might even be a new flavor. Check Facebook for the details when they happen!

THE STANDARDS THIS MONTHS SPECIAL FLAVORS

Caramel Cashew Banana Pudding

Chocolate Almond Cinnamon

Chocolate Peanut Butter Double Butterscotch Chip

Coffee English Toffee

Just Plain Chocolate GingerSnap!

Marionberry Lemon Custard

Mint Chocolate Chip Licorice

New York Cheesecake Lotsaberries

Oregon Black Cherry Maple Walnut

Oreo Cookie Oregon Hazelnut

Strawberry Peppermint Candy

Very Vanilla Toasted Marshmallow

CONTACT

If you have questions about this newsletter or about Zinger’s Homemade Ice Cream, contact us via e-mail: newsletter@zingersicecream.com

On the web: http://www.ZingersIceCream.com

Find us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/zingersicecream