The latest scoop in ice cream

Trend 2: Crazy flavors

The wackier the flavors, the better.

SAN FRANCISCO

Humphry Slocombe

• The scoop: Swarmed with hipsters on any given day (rainy ones included), this simple-looking parlor hand-churns its daily-changing flavors that are anything but. Foie Gras, Peanut Butter Curry, Secret Breakfast (bourbon with corn flakes) are some of ice cream guru Jake Godby’s now-famous concoctions, but to overlook his creamy Chocolate, laced with smoked sea salt, would be a serious mistake.
• Lick we love: White Miso Peach, new this summer. –Rachel Levin

DENVER

Sweet Action

• The scoop: Handmade cones are stuffed with madcap flavors like Chocolate-Malt Whoppers, Tequila Sunrise, and Baklava. Bonus: Sweet Action is 100 percent wind-powered and sources milk and cream from local dairies, spices from Denver’s Savory Spice Shop, and sweets like brownie bits from the city’s Sugar Bakeshop.
• Lick we love: Banana Reese’s Pieces—creamy Banana ice cream studded with E.T.’s candy-coated peanut butter nuggets. –Amanda M. Faison

 

Trend 3: Soft-serve

Soft-serve is back—and tastier than ever.

SAN FRANCISCO

The line for Bi-Rite Creamery’s small-batch scoops literally snakes around the block. But take our advice and keep walking past it—where (at least until word spreads) you can step right up to the San Francisco parlor’s new soft-serve window.

That’s right, the classic summer twist is back—and, made with dairy from local Straus Family Creamery, it’s way better than you remember it. Two flavors change daily (Balsamic Strawberry and Malted Vanilla among them), but cross your fingers for Salted Caramel: As the sole guy ahead of me said to the sidewalk, “It’s damn good, people!” –R.L.

NEXT: Farm-fresh treats and retro classics