Creamsicle craze grows to M&Ms, Sonic, IHOP, Arby’s – and kombucha
It’s amazing how old-school flavors can ring up a dose of nostalgia and cash.
Take the mix of orange and cream. Recently I wrote about a renewed culinary interest and marketing push for the creamsicle flavor, highlighted by fast food’s Wendy’s chain using the combo in its Frosty.
This year’s creamsicle craze also hit fast food’s Baskin-Robbins, Carvel, and Wienerschnitzel, and yogurt maker Chobani — just to name a few brands.
Well, that column sparked quite a bit of taste-bud nostalgia amongst readers, not to mention more sightings of orange-cream concoctions in the food business.
“Orange cream was my favorite treat from Scotty Scooter the ice cream man when I was growing up,” one reader wrote. “We were in Flagstaff, Arizona, for a wedding and stopped in a small grocery store. I found orange cream M&M’s!”
Yes, the Mars candy makers recently added “vanilla orange creme white chocolate candy” to its M&M lineup. According to a posting on retailer Dollar General’s website, the candy has “all the flavor of your favorite orange and creme popsicle.”
Of course, they’re colored orange and white.
Craze-sicle
M&Ms is by no means alone. Other entrants this spring to the creamsicle craze have cooked up some limited-time offers …
Sonic: Its Orange Cloudsicle Slush Float is a mix of the fast food chain’s famous ice, soft-serve ice cream, creamsicle flavors and boba-style orange “flavor bubbles.”
IHOP: The pancake place added the “Blossom’s Orangesicle” drink that’s “orange juice, lemon-lime soda and vanilla syrup. Garnished with whipped topping, Fruity Pebbles and a gummi butterfly.”
Arby’s: The sandwich shop brought back its orange cream shake.
Health-Ade: The kombucha maker’s Orange Creamsicle is “the bright and creamy flavors of your favorite childhood popsicle. A perfect balance of sweet and tart.”
Vizzy’s: The hard seltzer maker brought back Orange Cream Pop – “a nostalgic blend of orange and vanilla with a touch of sweetness reminiscent of an orange creamsicle.”
The memories
Why is old the new “new?” Ponder what my readers said.
“You certainly brought back some memories. The gold standard of the late 60s was the Foster’s Freeze Orange Ice, 42 cents out the door. I often scoured the neighborhood for bottles that I could return for deposit to afford the treat. I thought I could relive the moment with Wendy’s new drink. Not even close. Probably the best reminder is Rita’s Custard’s orange and vanilla mix. It’s not always available, but when it is, it’s a can’t miss!”
“Around 1950 or so, Foster’s Freeze opened in the San Joaquin Valley. They came up with Orange Freeze – orange soda and the soft ice cream, blended in one of those things used to make milk shakes. It was very flavorful and refreshingly cold.”
“Liquid Gravity Brewing in San Luis Obispo has an amazing brew called Orange Cream Machine. It is a dead ringer for the creamsicles of our youth. It inspired all of us to say, ‘What the heck?! How could this be?!’ If you like beer, try it sometime!”
“I used to love an ice cream that was orange sherbet swirled with vanilla ice cream, sadly discontinued. Now I just make my own — a scoop each from a carton of orange sherbet and a carton of vanilla ice cream.”
“Tillamook ice cream has Orange & Cream. It should be delightful. I say that is because I purchase Tillamook Peaches & Cream, and it is so yummy. One creamy spoonful and you think you went to heaven – but didn’t die!”
“The orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream we had in the ’50s and the ’60s came from the ice cream truck growing up in Lakewood was ‘Pushups.’ You pushed the treat up through a cardboard chamber and eat as you wanted.”
“You left out the best – Jamba Juice Orange Dream Machine. Ingredients are orange juice, orange sherbert, vanilla soy milk, fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt. It’s been on the menu for decades. It’s super refreshing and my go-to indulgence when I have a sore throat.”
Cheers!
One reader offered a cocktail idea, writing “I thought you might enjoy trying this recipe I created for a party at my home last spring, … ahead of said trend!”
- 3 parts Whipped Cream Vodka
- 1 part frozen orange juice concentrate
- 1 part Triple Sec
- 1/2 part half-n-half
- 1/2 part orange soda
Shake with ice. Strain into a martini glass.
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com
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