Red, White and Blue Moon

Everybody can find red and white ice cream for their Fourth of July celebration at their local supermarket, but blue is a bit harder to come by for most outside of the Upper Midwest. Here we can easily round out the troika of patriotic of colors with Blue Moon ice cream, a flavor unique to our region. 

The hot zone for Blue Moon is Wisconsin and Michigan, with some overlap in sections of Indiana and Illinois.

The flavor itself seems to be something of a Rorschach test for the tongue, with everybody tasting something a little different. Common flavors cited are almond, raspberry, lemon, Froot Loops, and cotton candy. 

We  here at Drink Wisconsinbly have neither the sophisticated palette nor the tolerance for lactose to wade into that tasting quagmire. Suffice it to say whatever flavors go into the recipe appeals to the locals. 

The origins of the flavor are also shrouded in mystery, but one popular theory has it invented by a chemist named Bill “Doc” Sidon while working for Milwaukee-based Petran Products in the 1950s. We are giving that backstory our full endorsement rather than publicizing some dubious claim by another state.

So, while you’re celebrating America in the coming days, please don’t be shy about giving more localized recognition to our region of the country by grabbing a couple scoops of blue ice cream. And if you happen to be enjoying your cone in Michigan over the holiday weekend, be sure to announce loudly that their Blue Moon isn’t as good as the kind you get back home.