05/24/02
S'More Spirit ice cream is a whinnyer
This week I reached out for a double-dip dish of Baskin-Robbins' newest flavor, S'more Spirit.
Now that's the spirit! Gimme s'more. Throw an extra log on the campfire and make it a triple dip.
Here's the scoop on S'more Spirit: a blend of chocolate and toasted-marshmallow-mousse ice creams, with graham-cracker bits and chocolate flakes.
Total calories: 160 (per 4-ounce scoop). Fat grams: 9. Dietary fiber: 0 grams. Manufacturer's suggested retail price: $1.60 (may vary).
S'more Spirit is a chilly-willy version of the traditional campfire treat s'mores. Out in the woods, s'mores are made by jabbing a marshmallow on a stick, toasting it over a campfire and smooshing it, along with chocolate, between two graham crackers. S'more Spirit captures all the outdoorsy charm of s'mores -- without the mosquitoes, chiggers, scary ghost stories and the camp creep who can't wait till you fall asleep so he can stick your hand in a bowl of warm water.
S'more Spirit ice cream was created as a promotional tie-in with the upcoming animated movie "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron." The ice cream is guaranteed to stay in stores throughout May and June. How long the movie stays in theaters is another question.
The Hollywood scuttlebutt is: This stallion can't fill Mister Ed's horseshoes. I give the movie one hoof up, one hoof down. The ice cream is a whinnyer, though.
Normally, I'm not a fan of marshmallows. They're too slimy and yucky inside. Toasting helps, but I always leave them in the fire too long, and they get burnt black and start dripping off the stick.
The mad scientists in Baskin-Robbins' research department have concocted a toasted-marshmallow-mousse ice cream that has all the flavor but none of the marshmallow hassle. The rest of the ingredients (chocolate ice cream, graham crackers and chocolate flakes) -- well, who doesn't love those?
Baskin-Robbins has other "Spirit" movie tie-ins, like Wild 'n' Reckless Spirit sherbet, the Cimarron Sundae and Spirit's Swirlin' Shakes. Does ice cream connect with movies? In some cases, yes -- like Shrek Swirl and Shrek'd Out Chocolate Mint from 2001. In some cases, no -- like Casper's Chiller Thriller, which went straight to video and back to the drawing board in 1999.
In other news from the world's biggest ice-cream chain (4,500 stores in the United States and 52 foreign countries), we have a new Top 5 Flavors list:
1. Vanilla 2. Mint Chocolate Chip 3. Chocolate 4. Pralines 'n' Cream 5. Oreo Cookies and Cream.
Since joining forces in 1946, Baskin-Robbins has concocted and introduced nearly 1,000 flavors. I know what you're thinking. Here are the two biggest stinkers in B-R history: Volcanic Lava (red caramel ice cream with peanut-butter ripples and yellow cookie-dough pieces) and Transylvania Twist (chocolate and popcorn ice creams with candy-corn mix-ins). Popcorn ice cream?
By Ken Hoffman |
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