SWEET TREATS

PHOTOGRAPH BY JASON SINN

& EAT DRINK

I Scream, You Scream

As the mercury rises, it’s prime time to indulge in chilled treats. Here, five of our favorite new spots to cool off with freshly churned scoops, fruit-studded paletas, and boozy shakes.

—PATRICIA KAOWTHUMRONG & ALLYSON REEDY

HEAVEN CREAMERY

Cherry Creek, RiNo, Centennial, and Lakewood

Martha Trillo’s Heaven Creamery unites the frozen dessert cultures of Mexico, Italy, and the United States under one roof. The Chihuahua native studied with makers in Mexico and Italy to perfect her paletas (fruit-forward popsicles) and gelato, respectively, before bringing her talents in 2020 to the Denver area, where she has already expanded her empire to four shops. In April, the latest debuted in a brightly lit, blue-and-white-walled space in Lakewood’s Belmar shopping district. At every Heaven location, patrons can enjoy a rainbow of creambased and nondairy vegan flavors (crafted with Trillo’s lactose-intolerant daughter in mind), all of which are light on sugar and heavy on fresh produce. Try the spicy pineapple-chile paletas, a cup of raspberry dark chocolate gelato, or a sundae loaded with sliced bananas and kiwis, caramel sauce, and whipped cream.

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SHERRY’S SODA SHOPPE

Five Points and Boulder

Five Points–born Sherry’s Soda Shoppe found a second home in Boulder’s University Hills neighborhood in May, bringing owner Joshua Pollack’s 1950s-era soda fountain concept to the foot of the Flatirons. As with Pollack’s other businesses—including three locations of Rosenberg’s Bagels and Delicatessen and Lou’s Italian Specialties—the theme of the shop is a tribute to his family. His late grandmother Sherry inspired both the spot’s name and owl-figurinebedecked interior. The old-school ambience and menu of malts and scoops are complemented by a roster of modern, boozy offerings such as spiked housemade sodas, amaro affogatos (vanilla ice cream drenched in herbal liqueur), and customizable shakes. For the ultimate throwback, pair a cone stacked with velvety mounds of nutty pistachio with a vodka-infused cherry limeade on Sherry’s sprawling patio. Oreo, sprinkle-bejeweled buttermilk cupcake—in a whimsical space decorated with a mural of a ski-goggle-clad yeti in the snowy foothills. The shop sells a variety of other Colorado-made goodies, too, from Hammond’s chocolates and lollipops to cans of FlyteCo Brewing suds. No matter what craving brings you in, though, stock up on quarters for the eight pinball machines.

EISKAFFEE

Capitol Hill and Greenwood Village

After High Point Creamery co-owner Chad Stutz tasted eiskaffee—a German-style ice cream, coffee, and whipped cream concoction—in Munich, he was motivated to introduce Denverites to the treat. That’s why he and his wife, Erika Thomas, opened a creamery of the same name inside Capitol Hill’s 11th Avenue Hostel this past June. (They also have a nine-monthold stall in Greenwood Village’s Grange Hall.) The floats are a

Sherry’s Soda Shoppe

decadent, buzzy mix of cold brew steeped with Kaladi Coffee Roasters beans, your choice of Eiskaffee’s ice creams (we recommend the Bavarian cream), heaps of whipped cream, and grated chocolate. If you prefer to indulge in your vices separately, grab a Novo espresso drink and a croissant or try one of the other 16 European-influenced ice cream flavors, such as the ultrarich Belgian chocolate.

YETI’S SWEET SHOP AND ARCADE

Arvada

When Elliot and Kaitlin Bagley moved from Seattle to Arvada three years ago, the lack of hangouts for crews with little ones in tow led them to take matters into their own hand-held ice cream scoops. In late 2021, they opened Yeti’s Sweet Shop and Arcade in the Candelas development, where they serve 16 flavors of Little Man Ice Cream—marshmallow-studded Rocky Mountain Road, salted

YUM YUM’S ICE CREAM

Rosedale

All three of 11-year-old Denver Beer Company’s outposts have sun-drenched, kid- and dog-friendly patios and more than a dozen beers on tap. But co-founder Charlie Berger added an extra-sweet feature to the company’s newest, 16-month-old South Downing Street destination to appeal

to neighborhood families: a small-batch ice cream parlor housed in a former pie shack that had been vacant for some 20 years. Inside, chef Michael Ruiz—who also cooks a lineup of comforting bites for the brewery—churns cheekily named creations such as Citrus Got Real Lemon Tart, Obi Wan Cannoli, and Minter is Coming. For an adults-only treat, grab a scoop before you head to the taproom, where you can turn it into a beer float. Ice cream flavors such as Graham Cracker Porter and the raspberry Icy Princess sorbet taste even better bobbing in the suds that inspired them.