The best summer treat

I’d like to warn everyone, that this post is filled with ice cream slander. For the life of me, I have never truly understood why ice cream seems to be the frozen treat of summer. I stand relatively alone, apparently, in the sentiment that, on a hot day the last thing on my mind is a bowl of dairy. Some research would even suggest the combination of fat, protein, and sugar does more to heat you than cool you off on a hot day( ha!). And I get it, popsicles while delicious in their own right can be messy and usually leave you wanting more. So what’s the alternative? What sweet frozen delicacy can satisfy you on a hot day like (-better than) ice cream? Walk into the city of Philadelphia and every resident will have the same answer. Water ice.

No not Italian ice, not snow cones, not sorbet, water ice. A frozen summer treat that can almost literally be found on every corner in the city. Fruit flavors are the dominating ingredient in the icy and sweet dessert, and water ice comes in dozens of flavors, from everything to cherry and pineapple and mango, to rainbow and strawberry lemonade. You can’t step into Philly in the summer without seeing someone walking down the street enjoying a small plastic cup of water ice. It’s inevitable. Water ice is also pretty cheap, adding to its popularity. You can get a small, usually about a nine once cup overflowing with water ice, for just a dollar, and in most places, a large 16-ounce cup, won’t cost you more than three dollars.

There were two things I had never considered about water ice. The first was making it at home. Because of its cost and availability, it was never a thought that occurred to me. Why go through the trouble of finding a recipe, gathering ingredients, and going through no doubt a long freezing process, when I could walk a few feet away with a dollar in my pocket and return with sweet frozen bliss. The second thing I never considered, was that water ice was a regional treat. Something so delicious was sure enjoyed by the entire country-nay, the entire world. I was wrong.

After leaving Philadelphia, I searched the streets of cities like Baltimore, Miami, (Really, Miami??), and Greensboro, all I found was ice cream and different variations of ice blended with syrup. It was disappointing, to say the least. And when I asked around (where’s the water ice??), people answered, confusion coloring their voices “7-11 sells Slurpees?” I was devastated by the water ice deserts and made it my mission to bring water ice to the world.

I cracked open my laptop, prepared to go to the ends of the earth to create water ice in my own home. It turned out that I didn’t need to go any further than my kitchen. I was shocked at how simple water ice was to make, much easier than its creamy cousin. The trickiest part is the ice cream maker,(petition underway to change the name to frozen treat maker) which is super important to get the right texture and consistency, but outside of that, most flavors only require three ingredients, and I’d bet a cup of water ice you already have them in your home. You need water, sugar, and the fruit of your choice. That’s it.

To make the water ice all you have to do is blend up your fruit, dissolve the sugar in boiling water, mix the fruit and sugar water and pour it into your ice cream maker. When I made my first batch of mango water ice I nearly cried. Sweet, frozen, fruity heaven and it only took me 20 minutes to make. With that level of simplicity and deliciousness, I knew this was a secret Philadelphia could no longer keep to itself. So I made more, Strawberry lemonade, lemon, blueberry, cherry, and more of my favorite mango, and I began peddling it on the streets. Each cup had a note taped to it that said, if you love it, make it! With a list of ingredients and directions.

Despite my best efforts in a few cities across the country, water ice hasn’t taken over as the official dessert of summer yet. But I’m confident at the first taste, that anyone is choosing water ice over frozen cows milk. And once the world discovers how easy it is to make? Move over ice cream, there’s gonna be a new sheriff in town.