Sweet Melissa’s – 2 Berry Twist

The local legend of Ithaca Soft Serve

Sweet Melissa’s is another Ithaca staple, similar to that of the Cornell Dairy Bar or Purity Creamery. The difference here though is that where Purity and the Dairy Bar focus on lusciously rich and thick ice cream that melts in an almost unspeakably perfect way, Sweet Melissa’s focuses on the soft serve aspect of ice cream (they have regular ice cream too, but any real Ithacan will tell you they’re known for the soft serve). For an extremely reasonable price, you can get a beautifully swirled soft serve, piled high, and looking Instagramable as fuck.

The 2 Berry Twist

Savior from sour moods, protector of peace and patience, and deliverer from disrespectful discourse. These are apt descriptions for this flavor the 2 Berry Twist, but I do realize that those titles might need a little more context. So let me take a step back and tell the tale of how this flavor’s namesake came to be.

Sweet Melissa’s was the last ice cream shop I was supposed to attend before heading out of rural New York, and into The Big Apple to test my luck there. But prior to my leave, I had an issue (to say the least) with Greyhound buses and was forced to call their terrible customer service line that’s probably based in Indonesia. After 40 minutes on hold and trying to explain my situation, I threw in the towel because I realized this exercise in futility was getting me nowhere in the most literal sense possible. So in a fowl and grumpy mood, I ordered this ice cream while in a state of mind that might not be the most conducive for optimal ice cream tasting.

Ok so that’s the setup. I’m pissed, but I need to get some ice cream before I leave town.

I order the two berry twist in a huff, and despite it’s beautiful presentation and coloring, I was still feeling a little pissy. One lick of this soft serve and my anger started to give way like the outer cream of this dessert as my tongue pressed into it. It kind of feels like compacting a snowball with fresh powder. The outside just completely gives way, and can form to whatever shape your hands desire. It’s kind of magical.

Then there’s the taste. It’s not terribly complicated as the two berries that are twisted together are red raspberry (pink side) and black cherry (purple side). That said, the flavor does taste a little syrupy. Kind of like a Slurpee or Icee. Still, I don’t hate this. Because even though it might not evoke a strong, fresh, and fruity taste, it does take me to a time from my childhood. (Insert flashback sequence)

Playing soccer as a kid, I admit I wasn’t always a gracious loser. One year when our team was absolutely dreadful, which caused us to lose… a lot. So after every loss, my dad would take me for a post defeat Slurpee. Even back then, I would get a mix of two berry flavors. And even though everything was awful in life and I couldn’t even fathom of time where things would return to ok, during the few minutes I was consuming the flavored ice syrup, all I could concentrate on was the Slurpee. During this time, nothing else mattered, and like the decreasing level of Slurpee in my cup, my anger just began to disappear… (end flashback sequence).

So if you’re telling me an ice cream can do the same thing as these magical Slurpees, then you’re damn right I’ll be impressed.

2 Berry Twist Soft Serve Conclusion

There’s something just wonderful about an ice cream that can turn a frown upside down. It might not have an insanely complex flavor (it’s just black cherry and raspberry), but those two syrupy soft serves seriously reminded me of my childhood. And that is something I treasure a lot in an ice cream.

If you want to give Sweet Melissa’s a shot yourself, they can be found at: 200 W Seneca St, Ithaca, NY 14850.

Read Another Review!

If you thought that was fun, go and check out another review post! I have a whole slew of them on my Royal Reviews Page, and hopefully you’ll be able to find them just as entertaining as this one.