Best of Summer's Frozen Sweets

We all love frozen sweets, but often warm weather desserts are better fit for a kid’s palate.  But this summer, there are a slew of New York City shops crafting grown-up versions of all our childhood favorites. There’s everything from gelato on a stick to slushies-on-wheels and frozen hot chocolate.  The city can get scorching hot, so we’re thrilled to find these delicious, frozen escapes.



People’s Pops
Address:75 Ninth Ave. (inside Chelsea Market)
Phone: (850)322-6071
people@peoplespops.com
Most people think of popsicles as those overly sweet treats stacked away in the back of the freezer, but the founders of People’s Pops want to change that notion.  Their ice pops (pictured right) are all handmade from fresh, locally grown fruit and sold at their shop in Chelsea Market and The Brooklyn Flea.  We love their creative combination flavors, especially the blackberry with cantaloupe and the rhubarb with mint.  If you’re throwing a barbecue of your own, People’s Pops will come to you too.

Kelvin Natural Slush Co.
Phone: (646) 200-5083
kelvinslush.com
Slushies from a random gas station are a guilty pleasure, but you don’t have to be embarrassed about slurping the fruity, frozen drinks from the Manhattan-based Kelvin truck.  Founder Alex Rein has come up with an adult version by using real fruit purees and letting customers mix-and-match to come up with their ideal dessert.  We adore the tangy citrus with pear or tea with raspberry.   You can add a scoop of Kelvin ice cream when you’re feeling more indulgent.

Pop Bar
Address: 5 Carmine St. btwn. Bleecker St. & 6th
Ave.
Phone: (212) 255-4874
Forget cones and cups at this
Carmine Street shop, an ode to the popsicle stick.  Everyone likes to
have options, which is why Pop Bar makes a handheld dessert out of any
frozen treat, from gelato to sorbetti to frozen yogurt.  There’s even
“poppings” (pun intended) available, such as ground biscotti and
pistachio nuts, and make sure to get you’re pop-dipped.  The melted dark
chocolate kind is especially tasty.

Pesso’s Homemade Italian Ices
Address: 203-20 35th Ave (Queens)
Phone: (718) 224-9130
Italian ices are the name of the game at this quaint, corner spot on a quiet, residential street with terrific ices.  There are plenty of great flavors to choose from, including fruity, water-based ones as well as candy-studded cream-based ones.  Our all-time favorite creation involves layering one of Pesso’s frozen yogurt flavors (we usually get yellow cake batter) with an Italian ice, like the “Chunky S’mores.”

La Dolce Vita
Address: 12-58 150th St. (Queens)
Phone: (718) 747-3652
This Queens cafe serves real deal gelato — the kind that contends with gelato from Italy.  There’s over two dozen, innovative flavors, but whatever you opt for, don’t miss the nutella. It’s perfectly smooth and creamy with a great hazelnut flavor.  You can even order a gelato sandwich on a freshly baked brioche bun.  You don’t see this classic Italian sandwich at many places in New York nevermind America, so seize the chance to try this sweet sandwich at La Dolce Vita.  It’s a doozy.

Van Leeuwen  Artisan Ice Cream
Address: 632 Manhattan Ave
at Bedford and Nassau streets (Brooklyn)
Phone: (718) 701-1630
The
slow food movement has reached ice cream and we couldn’t be more pleased.
The three Van Leeuwen trucks and new Greenpoint storefront hawk an
outstanding ice cream made with organic dairy from small farms.  It’s
rich, buttery, and not too sweet.  Our favorite flavor is the
deceptively simple vanilla, made with beans from Papua New Guinea that
have been aged in oak barrels.  There are also some quirky options, such
as red currant, ginger and the candy-like peppermint chip — a flavor
that sends us running after the truck whenever we see it coming down
Fifth Avenue.

Stand
Address:24 East 12th St. bet. 5th Ave and University
Place
Phone:( 212) 488-5900
Sometimes, nothing beats an
ice-cold milk shake and Stand makes one of the best in the city.  All of
their flavors are unusually thick and creamy.  Our shake of choice is
the Toasted Marshmallow, a vanilla shake loaded with
flame-charred marshmallows, which makes you feel as if you’re really
sitting around a campfire.

Jacques Torres
Address: 66 Water St. (Brooklyn) & 350 Hudson St. at King St.
Phone: (212)414-2462 and  (212)414-2462
Hot chocolate is a wonderful winter indulgence, but come summer it’s just too hot outside.  Thankfully, chocolate guru Jacques Torres crafts a summer version with frozen hot chocolate with  dark chocolate, as thick as a milkshake, but slightly grainier because of all of the melted chocolate bars in it.  Our top pick is the spicy, “Wicked Version,” laced with cinnamon, chili powder and allspice.