Depending on who you ask, Faygo and rum mixed together either sounds like a good time or a disaster. But at Ice Cream Detroit, it’s a match made in, well… Detroit.
Ice Cream Detroit specializes in liquor-infused ice cream and sorbet. One of the shop’s signature flavors is a strawberry Faygo Red Pop sorbet with coconut rum.
Have you ever been hanging out in Midtown and seen that mural that says “Ice Cream Detroit” on 2nd Ave. and Seldon? Yeah, that’s them. The brand is planning to open its brick and mortar at 3762 2nd Ave. this fall after several delays.
They recently held a pop-up in front of the shop on National Ice Cream Day, July 17, to tease their opening flavors. That includes a butterfly pea flower margarita sorbet with Reposado Tequila and Grand Marnier.
“It’s dairy-free and butterfly pea flower is high in antioxidants so it’s good for you as well,” Ice Cream Detroit owner Ysahai Honor-Marie says matter-of-factly.
Other flavors include an espresso martini ice cream made with Detroit coffee brand Konjo Me that’s infused with vodka and Kahlua, and a pineapple passion fruit sorbet with champagne and Saint Germaine topped with champagne cotton candy.
Before you get too excited, the liquor-infused ice cream won’t get you drunk, as Honor-Marie specifies there’s only about 0.5% alcohol per scoop. It is, however, really good ice cream that’s made in-house.
Ice Cream Detroit was first founded in 2018 by Calvin Gee, and Honor-Marie took over in 2020. She previously ran a food truck for five years called Comfort Cafe where she and Gee often collaborated on dishes.
“I did a chicken and waffle sandwich with fried chicken and a cornbread waffle topped with a collard green slaw and drizzled with sriracha maple syrup. And then we’d do the waffle with a scoop of whatever ice cream flavor he had,” she says. “So that’s how we got pretty close. But then the pandemic hit and I realized it wasn’t my dream… I’ve always wanted an ice cream truck, and he just dropped it in my lap like, here, take care of it.”
While Ice Cream Detroit does not have a truck just yet, Honor-Marie isn’t ruling out the idea — she still has her old Comfort Cafe food truck. For right now, however, she’s focusing on getting the 2nd Avenue shop open.
In addition to the infused options, Ice Cream Detroit will also offer many of the same flavors, sans the booze. For Honor-Marie the alcohol isn’t what makes the brand special, however, it’s that all the flavors are made from scratch without added dyes.
“Detroit used to be known for ice cream shops and ice cream actually made in-house like Sanders, and so I want to bring back a little bit of that Detroit history,” she says. “Most shops use pre-packaged ice cream, which means there’s a lot of preservatives and a lot of food coloring. Who knows where they get it from. Here at my shop, you can actually watch me make it.”
Infused scoops will start at $8 plus a topping while booze-free ones will be around $4.
While we wait for Ice Cream Detroit to officially open, you can find their virgin flavors at Detroit Soul from 2-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. They are also participating in the annual Hospitality Included Fest at Chroma on Sunday, Aug. 6.
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