A chocolate milkshake from Gracie and the Dudes in Red Bank. (Photo by Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)
SHERRI HALL
This week, PieHole‘s Cool Inside summer series features an old fatithful cold drink you can now enjoy overlooking our beautiful Navesink River from Riverside Gardens Park in Red Bank.
For those who missed the news: the snack stand in the park, which has barely been used over its two-decade existence, is now operating as a third location for Gracie and the Dudes Homemade Ice Cream.
Michelle McMullin gives a final stir to a chocolate milkshake with hard ice cream. (Photo by Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)
What’s this treat called?
A hand-packed milkshake.
Where is it sold?
Riverside Gardens Park
40 West Front Street
Red Bank
Milkshakes are also available at the Long Branch and Sea Bright locations as well as at the sister store, Sadie’s Sundaes, in Atlantic Highlands.,
Price?
$5.95 plus tax for a regular (which has four scoops of ice cream) and $6.95 plus tax for a large (which has five scoops).
What’s in the hand-packed milkshake?
According to owner Michelle McMullin, each milkshake is made with any flavor of homemade hard ice cream, milk and syrup (vanilla, chocolate or strawberry, depending on the flavor of ice cream used). Customers can also customize their shakes by adding toppings into them.
McMullin’s favorite milkshake flavor is cookies and cream with extra vanilla syrup, but the shop’s best seller is chocolate. In fact, chocolate is the store’s most popular flavor of ice cream. “It’s our signature flavor. People know us for our chocolate,” says McMullin.
She hinted that the flavor is made with a deep, dark chocolate but prefers to keep the exact type a secret.
What’s great about the hand-packed milkshake?
“It’s super thick and delicious,” says McMullin. “And, it’s easy and clean, rather than messy like a cone or a sundae. You can take it with you.”
What makes this one different than other milkshakes?
McMullin says that most milkshakes are made with soft ice cream, while hers are made with hard (unless soft is specifically requested by a customer).
“We feel strongly that hard ice cream makes a much better shake,” says McMullin. “Even though it takes longer to make, it’s definitely worth the wait.”
Fill in the blank with the first word that comes to mind:
If this hand-packed milkshake didn’t exist, life would be “blah.” (McMullin)
ICYMI, here are the previous stops on the Cool Inside tour of the Greater Red Bank Green and the featured treats:
Crazee’s for a homemade waffle bowl
Ryan’s Homemade Ice Cream for chocolate-covered strawberry ice cream in a waffle cone
Strollo’s Lighthouse for an “iceshake”
La Rosa’s Pastry Shop for frozen cannoli cream and cannoli chips
Hoffman’s for a Cookie Monster milkshake
Ralph’s for a chocolate-chip-cookie sundae
Rook for a New Orleans-style cold brew
Kitch Organic for a Flyin’ Hawaiian fruit smoothie
