FIRST ICE CREAM OF THE 2021 SEASON!

Memories in Kingston had their official opening day on a warmish (for March) Saturday. I’ve been to Memories before, but only for personal pleasure.  Today was my first time on official blogger business. They have an impressive number of regular flavors (45+ and counting) and always have unique small batch flavors to try. Memories also makes ice cream sandwiches and ice cream cakes, which I will absolutely be indulging in for my birthday this year. If you are looking for fabulous homemade ice cream, a classic New England setting to… you know… make memories, you’ve got to put this spot on your list. 

Owners Steven and Dawn bought Memories in 2014, but the converted old dairy barn has been a well known ice cream spot for the past 30 years. Utilizing fresh and local ingredients whenever possible, they continue the tradition of making high quality seasonal and traditional flavors.

On the specials board were:

• Butterscotch
• Heavenly Hash: chocolate ice cream with almonds, marshmallows and chocolate chips
• Gingerbread Man: molasses with ginger cookies
• NH Mud: Coffee with fudge swirls and Oreos
• Honey Lavender
• PB M&M: peanut butter with M&Ms
• Irish coffee: coffee with Irish whiskey 

They also offer special vegan flavors:

• Coconut chip hard scoop
• Maple soft serve
• Coffee soft serve

An extra small gets you 2 different scoops, so B and I each picked 2 different flavors. My plan this year is to pick a standard that I know I’ll love and try a unique flavor (sans peanut butter) to get avoid an ice cream rut. I’m sure an ice cream rut isn’t really a thing, but to expand my palate I’m going to try new things! B got Maple Bourbon and Butter Pecan in a cup with a waffle cone. I chose NH Mud and Honey Lavender in a waffle cone. The texture and flavor of this ice cream is bonkers! Traditional New England hard scoop, lusciously creamy texture with that flavor punch that every ice cream connoisseur craves. 

Their flavors absolutely shone through with each one we tasted. As you know, Coffee Oreo is usually my go to, so the added fudge swirls and rich coffee taste in the NH Mud was just what I was looking for. The chunks of Oreo cookie were just right, and paired well with the waffle cone. Upon initial lick of the Lavender Honey flavor, my taste buds were a bit confused. I made sure to finish off the NH Mud and take a palate cleansing bite of B’s Butter Pecan before taking a second lick. Upon my second lick, I found it has a lighter, more delicate flavor profile that is not too overpowering. The more I ate of it, the more it took on an almost marshmallow taste. Definitely a unique flavor, which also paired well with the waffle cone. I almost forgot to tell you about the waffle cones!! They are homemade and are delightfully crunchy and light almost like a thin sugar cookie. They pop a marshmallow at the bottom to keep your melted ice cream from dripping out the bottom. 

Being a bourbon fan, B enjoyed the Maple Bourbon which provided equal amounts of maple and bourbon preventing it from tasting too boozy. The Butter Pecan was a rich, buttery base with large chunks of pecans well distributed throughout. He got a waffle cone on top and gave it 2 thumbs up for crunch and flavor. We spoke to other people to get their opinions and the rave reviews of Gingerbread Man and Heavenly Hash made me second guess my choices. Without being too sweet, Gingerbread Man was gingery as well as molassasey and the woman we spoke to was planning on grabbing a pint to go. 

B knows people everywhere we go, so we ran into his coworker who was out with his family also enjoying opening day ice cream. And by “also enjoying” I mean sitting at a table outside in their winter jackets, shivering from the cold and from flavor delight. #trueNewEnglanders