Nothing wrong with vanilla, but here’s something different

Devil’s Footprints & Moose Tracks: Ice cream names worth explaining

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Ice cream flavors are usually named after their main ingredients because, quite simply, that helps customers know what they are asking for. But, every now and then, ice cream stores come up with a flavor so special and different that a new name must be created to capture the experience of tasting it. The following ten are examples of such cases, where names as unusual as "Devil’s Footprints" or "Secret Breakfast" are part of the menu. Browse through and see for yourself if you would dare to try any of these!

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As weird as it seems, Moose Tracks is a branded ice cream flavor that is manufactured by different companies under various brands. The Original Moose Tracks product description is: "vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cups and famous Moose Tracks fudge." The "moose tracks" are the fudge bits mixed into the vanilla ice cream, resembling the animal’s footprints.

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Perhaps not the most tempting name for an ice cream flavor, Cold Sweat can be found at Sunni Sky's Homemade Ice Cream in Angier, North Carolina. This dubious treat is packed with hot peppers and hot sauce, making it a challenging flavor that will have you reaching for water after the first lick.

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Canadians have their own way of doing many things and ice cream is no exception. Tiger Tail is an orange-flavored ice cream with a black licorice swirl. As you might imagine, it is named for its resemblance to orange and black tiger stripes.

Tiger tail is most popular in parts of Canada and not often found elsewhere. It is a distinctly flavored ice cream, considered a retro flavor, and it has seen a nostalgia-driven resurgence in recent years.

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Just to clarify: yes, it is "parakeet," as in the bird. An ice cream store in Japan, Torimi Cafe, offers a line of bird-inspired flavors: Java Sparrow, Parakeet, and Cockatiel. The cafe team claims they came up with the taste of the birds based on the type of food the birds eat, but also adding ingredients that simulate the same sensation of actually having those types of birds in your mouth.

Fortunately, according to the cafe, the ingredients made to create these ice cream flavors are all-natural. In a statement, the Torimi Cafe said "Once in your mouth, the aroma of a parakeet would spread intensely."

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Ice cream is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of a Thanksgiving Dinner. But at The Ice Cream Store, in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, it is.

As it should be, this specialty is seasonal, and it is made with vanilla ice cream studded with tomatoes, potatoes, and green beans, then topped off with hot sauce and granulated sugar.

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It’s very rare for someone buying ice cream to be asked to prove their age. But, if you ask for a Ghost Pepper ice cream at The Ice Cream Store in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (yes, the same place we have just talked about), that is exactly what will happen.

The dessert could easily be mistaken for vanilla, topped with strawberry sauce—both of which provide the base flavors for the creation—but one bite quickly proves otherwise. The ice cream contains three ghost pepper-based hot sauces, a jalapeño-based hot sauce, and a ghost pepper mash. Once considered the hottest pepper in the world, the ghost pepper packs 1 million Scoville units of heat.

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An ice cream idea born from a competition, the Blue Mint is a peppermint ice cream dyed blue with white chocolate chunks and chocolate cookie pieces. It was conceived by a student at Utah State University and was developed in their laboratory. The original name was Aggie Iceberg, but with the addition of chocolate cookie chips, the iceberg concept was replaced.

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The ice cream version of a clown is aptly named, Krusty the Cone—an ice cream flavor inspired by Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons. The base flavor is a simple vanilla soft-serve ice cream, but it's topped with cotton candy, cotton candy sauce, and rainbow sprinkles for its flamboyant appearance. An ice cream as sweet as it comes, for sure.

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A daring name indeed, the Devil's Footprints flavor is named after a local landmark in Trinity, Canada. Partridge berries give the ice cream its eye-catching hue, and they are hand-picked from the nearby Bonavista Peninsula. Partridge berries impart a tart and slightly sweet flavor, giving the ice cream a refreshing and fruity taste.

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Having ice cream for breakfast is an odd choice, but adding a shot of bourbon to the mix is even stranger. Humphry Slocombe’s Secret Breakfast combines bourbon ice cream with crunchy cornflakes (we suspect that this is where the "breakfast" part comes from), and it’s one of the most popular scoops on the menu.

BRAND SECRETS

Check Out These 10 Surprising Stories Behind Your Favorite Brands

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Have you ever wondered about the origins of your favorite brands? While it may seem like those famous logos and slogans have been around forever, behind every successful brand lies a journey of perseverance and hard work, with ups and downs that led it to its current status. From crucial decisions full of uncertainty to some amazing lucky strikes, their trajectories are as diverse as the products they offer.

If you're curious, join us as we unravel 10 fascinating stories behind these iconic brands!

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Nike, one of the most famous sports brands in the world, has an unmistakable logo that today symbolizes not just a brand but also a lifestyle. Surprisingly, this emblem of triumph was created for a mere $35! Can you believe it?

That's right; Nike's legendary "Swoosh" was created in 1971 by graphic design student Carolyn Davidson, and the brand compensated her with 35 bucks.

The founders of Nike approached the student with a humble request: to design a logo for their sports footwear brand, initially named "Blue Ribbons." Inspired by the wings of the Greek goddess Nike, she crafted the iconic symbol we know today.

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Amazon.com, Inc. has undergone several transformations from its conception in 1994 to the present day. Initially, the now-famous Jeff Bezos named his company "Cadabra," conceived as an online bookstore. However, an encounter with a lawyer mistaking "Cadabra" for a similar, less favorable word provoked Bezos to rethink the name. Inspired by the immensity of the South American river, he changed it to "Amazon."

Its logo also had a captivating evolution, transitioning from a capital letter "A" to the iconic "Amazon smile" we know today. If you look closely, you'll notice that the smiley arrow connects the letters "A" to "Z," referring to the extensive range of products you can find today on Amazon.

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There's nothing like a chilled glass of Coke on a scorching day, right? However, while a nice sip of cool soda does offer a refreshing relief, it is not a true medication. But why are we saying this? Because surprisingly, Coca-Cola was advertised as a medicinal beverage in its origins!

Originally sold as an herbal drink to relieve headaches and fatigue, Coca-Cola has changed its formula and marketing strategies over the years. For more than a century, Coca-Cola has kept its formula as one of the most jealously guarded secrets (and continues to do so), yet no one can deny that it is a successful recipe.

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Feeling hungry? Well, we know it's never the wrong time for a quick burger, and luckily, you know where to find it. However, it wasn't always this way.

In 1940, when brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald decided to open their first restaurant, the original plan wasn't a fast-food joint; it was a barbecue restaurant. But their journey took an unexpected turn.

Eight years later, in 1948, the brothers retooled the restaurant, moving from slow-cooked barbecue to a simplified menu focused on speed and efficiency. The rest is history!

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Sometimes, the chaos of conflict hosts the potential for major achievements.

Have you ever heard of the rivalry between Adolf and Rudolf Dassler? These two weren't just average brothers; they were the creators of two iconic sportswear names: Adidas and Puma. And their story is as epic as these brands.

In 1919, they founded together a shoe-manufacturing company. However, after 30 years of partnership, tensions emerged and conflict dominated the scene. In 1948, Rudolf went his own way and founded Puma, initially called "Ruda" (a fusion of his name, Rudolf Dassler). A year later, his brother Adolf did the same and created Adidas, a brand with his own name.

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Few people would say "no" to a delicious M&M, right? While today it enjoys worldwide fame, the origin of this tasty treat is still a mystery to many.

Forrest Mars Sr. brought M&M's to life, but his creative concept didn't come out of nowhere. In the 1930s, Mars observed soldiers from the Spanish Civil War eating tiny chocolates covered in a sugary coating.

When he learned that the coating served as a clever anti-melting solution for the chocolate, inspiration struck him. In 1941, our M&M's were born and they actually were part of the soldiers' ration during WWII.

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As noted earlier in this article, some classic rivalries arise from certain shared characteristics.

Like Coca-Cola, Pepsi also emerged as a "healthy" energy drink. Originating in the 1890s, its creator, Caleb Bradham, initially marketed it as "Brad's Drink" and sold it in his North Carolina drugstore.

Around 1900, Bradham decided to rebrand his beverage, naming it "Pepsi," and it's fair to say he hit the mark. The new name was not only playful and catchy, but it also alluded to its supposed purpose: alleviating dyspepsia (known to us mere mortals as indigestion).

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If you ever feel like you have to adjust your goals, don't be afraid, as doing so could lead you to success.

When you hear "ice cream," chances are Ben & Jerry's comes to your mind. However, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield's initial plan was a little different, as they started as a bagel company! Upon discovering the high costs involved in bagel-baking machinery, the founders opted to change their focus.

The new direction came with its costs, although considerably lower. In 1978, Ben and Jerry decided to take a course to learn how to make ice cream, and the brand quickly became one of America's favorites!

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Almost 160 years ago, of course, there were no cell phones, but there was Nokia. That's right, the famous brand now associated with technology was born in 1865, but you'd be surprised to learn how it started.

So, what were they doing then? Nokia was originally founded as a pulp mill company in southern Finland. Over the years, it expanded into new markets, and a century after its creation, its offer was wide, including a range of different products derived from paper and rubber.

In the 1980s, the brand divested itself of all its products except those related to telecommunications. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, Nokia was one of the world's best-selling cell phone brands. Remember that iconic Nokia ringtone on your cell phone?

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Before Google was born, its parents originally had another name in mind. But as often happens in families, they decided to change it.

Originally named "BackRub," the search engine was created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Stanford University in 1995, but the original name was not convincing. Can you imagine if a friend asked you to 'backrub' the name of a singer? Weird, isn't it?

So, what did the new name mean? "Google" is actually a misspelling of "Googol," which represents the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. It was adopted with the intention of linking the company to the concept of offering large amounts of information.