If you’re someone who loves both ice cream and wine, then you might want to take a seat before you read on. Yes, that’s right, a combination of the two is now available at a store near you: wine ice cream! Sold in New York State’s very own Tops Market, Mercer’s Wine Ice Cream comes in six different flavors: Cherry Merlot, Chocolate Cabernet, Peach White Zinfandel, Port, Red Raspberry Chardonnay, and Riesling. You must be at least 21 years of age to purchase this delicacy since the alcohol content is 5% and up, depending on the flavor.
The company, Mercer’s, has been around for 60 years in the Upstate New York area. It began with a small cow farm that bottled milk, and today makes over 27 flavors of ice cream, four sherberts, and three sugar-free, fat-free ice creams, along with its newest addition of wine ice cream. At Tops you can find the treat in a small cooler to the side of the beer. If you’re looking at the orange juices and ice coffees in the back dairy aisle, you will see the cooler to your left with a bright green sticker screaming NEW ITEM! A pint costs $5.99—pricey compared to any other ice cream sold in the store, but with its alcohol content and perfectly combined flavors, it’s worth the splurge.
I tried the Peach White Zinfandel. I was concerned it may be too sweet, and also thought it would be more of a sorbet, but boy was I wrong. This was ice cream: creamy, smooth, dairy-filled ice cream (totally against my diet, but hey…how do you pass it up?!) The wine taste was strong, but not not to the point that I couldn’t eat the entire pint in one sitting—no judgments, please. Thankfully my roommate and I shared it, and we both felt a little buzzed after. I’m not claiming this delicious treat can replace your pre-game drinks, but I’m also not claiming my roommate and I are anything other than lightweights. No shame.
Next time you’re in Tops, or planning a total chick flick night with snacks and alcohol, combine the two and try Mercer’s Wine Ice Cream!
—Jacqueline Fratini, assistant digital director of Baked Magazine. Follow Jackie on Twitter @jackfrat17.