Frozen 2.0

Three more 'Treats to Beat the Heat'

It’s come to my attention that I’ve been failing, in this blog, to fulfill some promises made at the outset. Namely, that I will be making ice cream recommendations from time to time. If you read our June issue or have downloaded our Summer Family Fun Guide, you may have noticed my article on “Sweet Treats to Beat the Heat,” in which I interviewed several local ice cream purveyors (can anyone say “Dream Assignment”?!?).

Since writing the article, however, I’ve heard of at LEAST three new business who should be on this list. And so, in the name of science, journalism, ice cream love, etc., I bring you Three More Sweet Treats to beat the Heat.

1. Glacier Confection

My husband and I have been a fan of Glacier ever since our dating days, when we used them as a prize in an ongoing contest of sorts that we had going on (won’t go into the details!). Basically, if we “won” the challenge, we got a box of nine Glacier chocolates at the end of the month, which is some pretty sweet motivation. Since then, Glacier has opened up a Utica Square location and is in the process of opening their new Archer location in the Tulsa Arts District, which will be an exciting bean-to-bar concept, with a gorgeous bar and floor-to-ceiling windows in the back, through which you can watch the chocolate-making process.

At both their Utica Square and Archer St. locations, you can purchase house-made gelato, which is everything you’d expect from a company known for consistent quality and fabulous flavors.

Joss enjoying the “green” flavor, aka pistachio.

2. Antoinette Baking Co. 

Another proven staple of the Tulsa dessert scene, Antoinette recently hosted an ice cream social to launch their new line of frozen treats, from take-home pints, to push-pops, to macaron ice cream sandwiches, to ice cream cake….the list goes on. Joss and I attended (Naturally. Also, if anyone else was there and heard random wolf howling coming from the bathroom around 5:45, that was us.), and although his eyes were diverted from the ice cream prize by the selection of colorful macarons in the pastry case (he got a “blue” one), we still tried a pineapple-basil sorbet push pop (so good!) and a pint of the Prairie Bomb! ice cream, which I loved.

So many options!

3. Josh’s Mix

I did include Josh’s Sno Shack in the aforementioned article, but Josh’s Mix, located at 43rd and Peoria, is the company’s newest concept! Brandi, one of our media account executives, and I were invited to try out their products, and we had a great time taste testing and chatting with owner Josh Juarez.

If you’re in the mood for a traditional Josh’s shaved ice treat, they have those, too! Special “Mix” flavors will be changing throughout the summer.

Whereas traditional sno cones are made using shaved ice and a flavor, what’s unique about Josh’s Mix is that they freeze fruit juice and other flavoring elements into a large disc that is shaved-to-order–meaning that there is little-to-no water used in the end product. It’s all flavor. Plus, the texture is a lot lighter and fluffier than a traditional sno cone. This “fresh sno” is topped with fresh fruit, sweetened-condensed milk, etc., depending on the recipe. Apparently there are only around eight other businesses in the United States that do something like this, although it is more common in Asia, particularly Japan. Because they use all-natural ingredients and so much fresh fruit, it’s a pretty healthy treat while still being pleasantly sweet.

While there, we got to try four flavors: the Michelle Orangebama (orange-and-cream flavored), Blueberry Bossa Nova, topped with fresh blueberries and crunchy granola, coffee-chocolate (made using Cirque Coffee) and (personal favorite) pineapple-coconut. The juiciness of the fresh pineapple junks really complimented the shaved coconut ice!

Flavor creator Christina and owner Josh Juarez. These mythical creatures are decorating the store because they reflect people’s reaction to the product: “It’s so familiar, but I don’t know how to describe it or what to call it!” 🙂

Follow @joshsmix on Instagram because they’re planning to host outdoor events like live music, etc., throughout the summer.

OK, that’s all (for now!). Let us know where you’re getting your ice cream, popsicle, shaved ice, etc. fix this summer!