As Madison receives its first sprinkles of snow, many are reminiscing the hot July days that warranted a scoop of ice cream to cool down.
July also saw the beginning of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s 175th anniversary celebration, and in true Wisconsin fashion, the university is continuing the festivities with a new commemorative ice cream flavor: “175 S’more Years.”
“175 S’more Years” is a “rich, chocolate ice cream with a marshmallow swirl and graham cracker crunch,” according to Babcock Dairy Store. The flavor, which was revealed as the winner of a community-voted poll and became available for purchase Monday, adds to the over 200 unique flavors the store has produced since it was built in 1951.
Earlier this year, as UW-Madison began to plan its year-long birthday party, Food Science Department Chair Scott Rankin suggested what would soon be the cherry on top of the celebrations: a celebratory ice cream flavor.
According to Babcock Dairy Store, the 175th Anniversary Planning committee took it from there, working with the campus creamery to develop names and mix-ins for possible new flavors. Once they narrowed down to their favorite four, they left the rest up to the public.
The four flavors that made the final cut included Demi Semi Confetti, Demi-Semi-Sweet-Centennial and Flamingos on the Hill, along with the eventual winner.
Wisconsinites with a soft spot for soft serve refused to waffle about with their votes, and around 40% of the total 8,438 votes were cast in favor of “175 S’more Years,” Caroline Crowley, Babcock Dairy communications specialist, told The Daily Cardinal via email.
In order to keep the journey smooth and prevent a rocky road, the flavor was produced for the first time on Oct. 18 to allow time for quality control testing. Babcock will be producing “175 S’more Years” as needed until its run ends in June 2024, Crowley said.
“With all its educational and research achievements in the past 175 years, the University of Wisconsin has improved the lives of Wisconsinites and people everywhere in big and small ways,” Charles Hoslet, vice chancellor for university relations at UW-Madison, said in a statement. “What better way to celebrate that than with a generous scoop of 175 S’more Years?”
Annika Bereny is a Senior Staff Writer and the former Special Pages Editor for The Daily Cardinal. She is a History and Journalism major and has written in-depth campus news, specializing in protest policy, free speech and historical analysis. She has also written for state and city news. Follow her on Twitter at @annikabereny.
