Photography by Andrea Smith

It’s a brrrr-illiant antidote to the sizzle of summer. Chill out with these cool contenders.

Bourbon Steak
7575 E. Princess Dr. (Fairmont Scottsdale Resort), Scottsdale
480-513-6002 michaelmina.net

Leave it to celebrity chef Michael Mina to turn that childhood classic of ice cream into a very adult indulgence.

First, he blends the chilly concoction into milkshakes, but not like a shake you’d have at any old diner. These are elegant creations, presented in tall, svelte Pilsner glasses with such pretty swirls and garnishes that they look like works of art. They’re thick and sexy with tricks – most notably copious amounts of high-end alcohol. Talk about brain freeze: The Rum Raisin shake involves an ounce of Appleton Estate V/X rum, plus an ounce of raisins that have been soaked in rum for two days, added to more rum, then blended to make a smooth, raisin-infused spirit. It’s all folded in with vanilla ice cream, milk and half-and-half, then drizzled with even more raisin-infused rum purée and topped with rum-soaked raisins.

For the minty-green hued Grasshopper shake, there’s vanilla vodka, Crème de Menthe and Crème de Cacao capped with shaved chocolate and whipped cream. The signature Bourbon malted, meanwhile, doesn’t skimp on the Jim Beam.


Cookiez On Mill
514 S. Mill Ave., Tempe
480-557-7051

What’s better than ice cream? As Cookiez owner Richard Steed knows, it’s an ice cream sandwich.

Here, freshly baked cookies become delicious vehicles to deliver the chilly confections to your mouth in chewy, blissful bites. You choose your cookie flavor – giant, homemade beauties including chocolate, peanut butter, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin or studded with candies. Can’t decide? The staffers will happily offer samples, and if it’s still too difficult to choose, you can select two different types of cookies as yummy bookends.

Next, choose your ice cream from an enormous menu (Rocky Road, pecan, Oreo, peanut butter, coffee, chocolate chunk, and so many more). Your server takes a huge scoop, squishes it between the cookies, and dares you to wrap your lips around it.

Make this monster your entire meal or order the half sandwich, which is plenty for one and shareable for two. Just eat fast, or risk a melty mess all over your face, hands and shirt (trust us, we learned the hard way).


Udder Delights
1385 E. Warner Road, Gilbert
480-507-3859
udderdelightsaz.com

How fresh is fresh when it comes to homemade ice cream? How about if the milk comes straight from the cow?

That’s nearly the case at this charming dessert bar (“ice cream shop” is just a little too simple for the wondrous things this place does). Owner Casey Stechnij’s family, in fact, owns Superstition Farms dairy in Mesa, which supplies the milk, cream and even the butter for the ice cream cakes and pies.

Co-owned by Sherene Robinson, the parlor puts out a massive list of crazy flavors like Moose Tracks (peanut butter cups with ribbons of dark fudge), Superstition Farm (rich cocoa and nuts with hazelnut Nutella), Blueberry Mooo-fin (whole blueberries and chunks of real blueberry muffins), lemon raspberry cheesecake (lemon cheesecake ice cream with tangy raspberry swirls and hunks of silky cheesecake), old fashioned bubble gum, cotton candy, and Monkey Moo (creamy chocolate, bananas and peanut butter cups). Seasonal flavors include candy cane and eggnog.