We don't care that it's cold outside. These only-in-Wine-Country artisanal ice creams made from bourbon, goat milk, sheep milk, or nitrogen, are worth the risk of frost bite.
Guerneville Bank Club
The historic 1921 Bank of Guerneville has a new lease on life, as – are you ready – a pie and ice cream emporium. Just debuted after a lengthy remodel including original light fixtures and nickel-plated brass push button light switches, the groovy-retro space is home to Chile Pies Baking Co. and Nimble & Finn's ice cream. Kick back in the lounge area next to art deco murals and treat yourself to a milkshake, made with a piece of pie blended with ice cream and milk. Killer flavor: Bulleit Bourbon ice cream with chocolate covered pretzels. // 16290 Main St (Guerneville), guernevillebankclub.com
Haverton Hill Creamery
Straight from happy sheep comes this brand new, sinfully rich ice cream. Owners Joe and Missy Adiego raise the wooly critters on their ranch on the Sonoma Coast, milking for the lactose-friendly, high-flavor goodness. Then, they hand churn it into all natural, small batch ice cream that has less fat and nearly double the protein of cow milk. Find it at local gourmet groceries like Whole Foods, Oliver's, Mollie Stone's and Oxbow Produce & Grocery. Killer flavor: Hazelnut Crunch. // 5110 Bloomfield Rd (Petaluma),
LaLoo's Premium Ice Cream
Goat milk is naturally lactose-friendly and has only half the fat of regular milk. So why not make it into ice cream, as this Sonoma farmstead has done? You can find it at many fine groceries, like Oliver's Market, Whole Foods and Andronico's, and the taste is wonderful: creamy yet delicate and not as sweet as regular ice cream. Killer flavor: Black Mission Fig. // laloos.com
Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yogurt
The server asks what flavor you'd like, then handcrafts the ice cream in front of your very eyes. Great clouds of fog billow out as the all-natural base, heavy cream, vanilla, and sugar is infused with refrigerated liquid nitrogen, a colorless, odorless liquid that churns around itself in a weird boil. The cream freezes so quickly that virtually no ice crystals form and the cellular structure of the fat isn't disrupted, for a silky and light, yet rich and velvety dessert. Killer flavor: Dulce De Leche with mix-ins of cheesecake bites and Twix candy. // 6760 McKinley Street, #11 (Sebastopol), subzeroicecream.com
Screamin' Mimi's
Owner Maraline Olson browses her 300+ recipe collection for her daily line-up of fresh made frozen treats, crafting delights like lavender olive oil. Each ice cream cone is weighed to determine the price, so who's to judge if you go for a “single scoop" bigger than your head? Killer flavor: Mimi's Mud of espresso ice cream, handmade fudge, chocolate chips, and chocolate cookies. // 6902 Sebastopol Avenue (Sebastopol), screaminmimisicecream.com
