Ben & Jerry's - Pucker Upper

Pucker Upper - Raspberry Sorbet with an Extra Tart Lemonade Sorbet Swirl & Sour Sugar Bits

Ben & Jerry's has a new summer flavor and it is a sorbet!  I know they have a non-dairy line, but I believe this is the first sorbet that I have seen from them.  At least in a past few years since I started surveying their collection.  This is a raspberry lemonade sorbet that they call Pucker Upper.  Sounds like they are preparing us for tartness!  I am looking forward to checking this out.

Removing the lid, the raspberry sorbet is a dark pink color.  I can tell right away that this has a sorbet-like texture.  A sorbet is non-dairy by design.  It's main ingredients are flavor (fruit juice here), sugar and ice -- and then it is churned like an ice cream.  I can tell just by looking at the top of the pint that it's a sorbet.  It has a 'frozen slush' texture to it that many sorbets have.  Digging in, the raspberry flavor is a bit tart -- they warned us didn't they? -- but it is quite tasty.  As I dig further down, I start to uncover sections of lemonade sorbet.  The raspberry and lemonade sorbets are marbled rather than blended.  The lemonade sorbet is also delicious, but it is even more tart -- as lemonade often is.  The sugar bit mix-ins are in the lemonade sorbet, but not the raspberry sorbet.  I notice the texture difference more than the flavor, but it is likely that the lemonade sorbet would be even more tart without them.

This is a totally different kind of pint than we normally see from Ben & Jerry's.  They are known for their mix-ins -- cores, truffles, brownies, fudge chips, etc -- but here we have a marbling of two sorbets.  It is a bit tart, but not as sour as you might expect a flavor named "Pucker Upper" to be.  It is all about managing expectations.  One minor quibble is that this sorbet is not completely dairy free.  If you check the ingredients, you'll see that it says "Warning: Contains Milk and Soy" and the list does contain "nonfat milk" and "milk".  It still feels and tastes like a sorbet.  Perhaps a smidge of milk helps it churn a bit better like a sherbet does?  I doubt it is enough to bother people unless your dairy allergy or lactose intolerance is very strong, but you figure if they wanted to cheat on their sorbet implementation that they could have used something non-dairy like coconut milk or almond milk.  Anyhow, for those without dairy issues, this is a fun change of pace from Ben & Jerry.  Check it out if a frozen raspberry lemonade sounds good on a hot day.