5 Unexpected Ice Cream Flavours From Gourmet Parlours

When it comes to cooling down over the hottest months of the year (or just indulging a sweet tooth anytime) ice cream is an international favourite. While ice cream parlours and gelatarias have been offering more than just plain vanilla for years, these days many creative shop owners and foodies are coming up with innovative flavours to both intrigue and wow their customers. From the savoury ideas of vegemite, beer and fish and chips, to peanut butter and jelly, musk stick, Sambucca and more, there really is a flavour to suit all tastes. Read on to get the inside “scoop” on five of the strangest — yet still tempting — flavours you can taste test across the globe.

Musk Stick, Sambucca and Popcorn

Canberra is the place to be if you want to try out some interesting flavours of ice cream such as musk stick, Sambucca or popcorn. Made using organic extracts, natural flavours and fresh ingredients, these flavour sensations can be found served up by popular Canberra brand Frugii. Frugii is located in various locations around the city, including market stalls at the Capital Regional Farmers Market and the Old Bus Depot Markets, and is the first company worldwide to make commercially available chocolate gelato right from the cocoa bean.

The business assures customers that all products are made free of added flavours or colours, and unlike many ice cream producers, Frugii does not use pastes or bases to create its ice creams, sorbets and gelatos. The company regularly produces creative flavours, and other past and present options include bacon ice cream, gin and tonic sorbet and rosewater gelato with cubed Turkish delight.

Peanut Butter and Jelly, Lamington and Pavlova

If you’re a fan of the combination of peanut butter and jelly and would love to try it in an ice cream, head to Jock’s Ice Cream store in Albert Park, Melbourne. Jock’s is one of the most well-known and popular ice cream shops in the city and regularly draws both locals and tourists alike, no matter how cold the weather. The store’s peanut butter and jelly flavour is nicknamed the “Obama Rama” and joins other interesting flavour options the store sells such as sweet corn and caramel, pineapple lump, Pavlova, lamington and gingerbread. At Christmas time, customers can often even opt for a unique version of the traditional dessert by purchasing one of Jock’s popular ice cream plum puddings.

Fish and Chips

While fish and chips might be one of your favourite lunch or dinnertime meals, you probably haven’t heard of it being an ice cream flavour. If you want to try this innovative sweet and salty combination then head to Kailis Fish Market Cafe in Fremantle, Perth. Kailis sells a diverse selection of gelato ice creams and sorbets, but it’s their fish and chip flavour that has really brought them to attention amongst dessert enthusiasts. The store is the first in Australia to sell the creation and it was inspired by the famous bacon and egg ice cream made by internationally-renowned British chef Heston Blumenthal. Not content with just producing an average flavour, the team at Kailis even flew in two Italian scientists from the Bigatton company, who make the majority of the world’s gelato pastes and flavourings, to test out the fish and chip combo before heading to Italy to experiment for five months in a laboratory.

Vegemite

A flavour of ice cream that will probably only be popular with Australians, the patriotic Vegemite concoction was created by Paddington (Brisbane) shop Gelateria Cremona back in 2007 for Australia Day. Interestingly though, Cremona’s resident chef Gherardo Deflorian actually had to get his customers to try out versions of the new creation at the time due to the fact that he doesn’t like vegemite himself — perhaps due to his Italian, rather than Australian, background. The store has also showcased other interesting flavours in the past including a Guinness gelato for St. Patrick’s Day and a pear and blue-vein cheese gelato for a food festival.

Beer

If beer is more your thing then you’re going to want to book a flight to the United States in a hurry! U.S.-based company Frozen Pints are the creators of a beer-flavoured ice cream that allows you to “have your beer and eat it too”. What started as an accident (someone spilled beer near an ice cream maker and inebriated people decided to try it) has grown into a popular range of ice creams that make use of fine craft beers and fresh local ingredients to create unique flavour combinations.