From Reaganomics, to the end of the Cold War, to Bedtime for Bonzo, President Ronald Reagan was either loved for his charming smile and love of chimpanzees, or hated for his ultra-conservative economic policies.
As far as we're concerned, his most important contribution to the good ol' US of A was National Ice Cream Day. In 1984, Reagan called for all Americans to celebrate the third Sunday of July (also declared National Ice Cream Month) with "appropriate events and activities." After the jump, we're giving you the most interesting scoops, pops, and sorbet in Miami, as well as some ways to fulfill your civic duty this Sunday.
Most Indulgent: The Frieze's Champagne Sorbet
If you're looking to take your elitism to the next level, this is the dessert for you. The light sorbet is made fresh with real bottles of bubbly. You can feel the effervescence in every bite. It goes well paired with any of the shop's fruit sorbets like the seasonal watermelon (pictured below) or raspberry. The Frieze will be hosting a shake race on Sunday in honor of National Ice Cream Day, where groups of two people or more can pass by between 2 and 5 p.m. to see who can down a milkshake first. The winner gets the milkshake on the house and a free pint of ice cream.
Most "Yum"-my: Mr. Yum's Mochi Ice Cream Balls
Mr. Yum's mochi covered ice cream may just be the solution to our melting summer scoops -- we just haven't been able to keep our spoons down long enough to test it out. These delicious treats come in five flavors (vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, green tea, and mango) and are covered in a soft, chewy dough that beats the generic fried varieties. They come three to a serving, but that doesn't mean we're sharing ours, buddy.
Most Futuristic: Haven's Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream
Say what you will, but we've already got our cryogenic chambers reserved for when modern science figures out how to keep us alive forever. In the meantime, Haven is putting cryogenic methods to good use by incorporating it into their ice cream. Chef Todd Erickson can come up with flavors like rice and beans with plantains (black bean ice cream with rice krispies and plantains) on a whim, and instantly freeze them for you. This scoop comes to your table trailed by smoke, and tastes twice as creamy as churned ice cream because the process doesn't allow air pockets to form. Try it this Sunday, as DJ Sage mixes for her aptly named "Ice Cream Sundays."
Most Unique: Michael's Genuine Food and Drink's Buttered Popcorn Ice Cream
Before events like foodie movie nights came along to save the hole burning through our stomach lining, we experimented by putting popular concessions like Sno Caps in our generously buttered popcorn. Michael's Genuine has turned that concept around by giving a traditionally sweet dish a salty twist. Both sweet and salty, this dessert tastes even better than the buttered popcorn we had back when all we could do was have our moms drop us off at the mall to watch the latest chick flick.
Most Refreshing: Feverish Truck's Spiked Watermelon Mint Pops
With vodka pops becoming all the rage, we're trying to get used to the fact that our hangovers must be preceded by a brain freeze. Our favorite vodka pops so far? Feverish's watermelon mint cocktail pops. Disregarding the fact that we got to try our hand at popsicle making by chopping some watermelon and pouring it into the mold (it turned into a real popsicle!), we can definitely say we're smitten with their newest flavor. The fresh, local fruit blends perfectly with the cool mint, for a perfect dessert. Check their twitter @FeverishMiami to see where they'll be rolling this weekend.
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