Sonny's - Authentic Spumoni

Authentic Spumoni - Italian Spumoni with Cherry, Pistachio and Chocalate Rum Ice Creams

I am back in California now, but I had time for one last pint before leaving Minnesota and I chose to review the Authentic Spumoni flavor from Sonny's Ice Cream in Minneapolis.   Sonny's Ice Cream is named after Martin "Sonny" Siron.  Sonny started the business in 1945 when he returned home from the war.  His uncles all ran liquor stores but Sonny was deemed too clean cut for that business and decided to open an old fashioned soda fountain instead.  Originally, they sold burgers, fries and malts.  In the 1980s, Sonny's son Ron joined the business, and they closed the soda fountain and focused the business on the homemade ice cream.  Sonny passed away in 2007 but Ron continues the business and they currently make dozens of premium flavors.  I picked up my pint of their signtaure flavor, Authentic Spumoni, at Whole Foods.  I've occasionally had spumoni at Italian restaurants, but I haven't reviewed a pint of it before.  Similar to Neapolitan, it features layers of chocolate and fruit ice creams.  The layers of this implementation are Pistachio, Cherry and Chocolate with Rum.

Removing the lid shows the layers of the three flavors visible on top.  The way the flavors are mixed is interesting. They are not completely mixed into a single base, but they aren't sectioned off completely like a pint of Neapolitan.  They are lightly swirled together.  Of the three flavors, the cherry and the chocolate rum were the most pronounced.  The pistachio parts were visible but it too mild for me to notice on its on.  I suppose it played a part in muting the flavors of the other two somewhat.  The rum in the chocolate section provided a bit of a kick that you felt in the back of your through.  There were so solid mix-ins within the pint so it was very smooth.  You just didn't know from one spoonful to the next whether the cherry or the chocolate would be the most dominant.

This was a fun flavor.  I'm surprised that more brands do not have a spumoni-based flavor.  If you're in Minneapolis and a fan of this Italian dessert then you should stop by Sonny's and give this a try.