Now that our local ice cream shops are opening for the season it's time to indulge in our favorite sweet treats!
Whether you're wanting to try something new like the viral new ice cream nachos that just showed up in Kalamazoo or you're craving an old favorite, ice cream is definitely my favorite way to satisfy my sweet tooth.
It seems like one of the top favorite flavors among Michiganders, in addition to our Superman ice cream, is Blue Moon. The tangy yet sweet flavor is something entirely its own, but have you ever stopped to wonder: what flavor is Blue Moon ice cream, really?
Blue Moon Origins
It sounds silly, but there's actually a long-standing dispute over the actual flavoring of our beloved blue ice cream.
Although it was rumored to have started in Ludington, MI the general consensus is this secret recipe was first concocted by chemist Bill Sidon, chief flavor chemist at Petran Products in Milwaukee. Petran Products was the first manufacturer to be granted a trademark for the recipe in the 1950s, but today that same trademark belongs to Weber Foods who bought Petran in the 1980s.
Today there are a number of regional creameries who each manufacture a similarly named product and flavor based on the original "Blue Moon". Although each recipe is unique to each factory, they are all based on Sidon's original recipe--or at least as close as they can get!
Of their Blue Moon ice cream West Michigan's own Hudsonville Ice Cream says,
A true Midwest original, this sweet, slightly fruity treat is the color of a summer sky. This mysterious flavor has a unique taste all its own. It's almost as much fun guessing what makes the magic as it is eating it!
So What Flavor IS It?
The true answer is under lock and key so we may never really know the truth. Here are some educated guesses from those of us who know and love Blue Moon ice cream:
- Fruit Loops
- Cotton Candy
- Almond
- Raspberry
- Lemon
- Marshmallow
- Vanilla
What do you think Blue Moon tastes like?