It used to be simple. You were craving a cold treat, so you’d run to your local Louisiana snoball stand and grab a “red” or “blue” and go on about your day.
Flash forward to 2018, where we now have an entire family of ice-based desserts to choose from in Baton Rouge, differing in consistency, flavors and preparations methods.
In an effort to solve the madness, here’s a breakdown of the most popular frozen treats found around town, what makes each technically different, and the inside scoop on where to find them.
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Snow cones
The father of crushed ice treats, the snow cone is known for its crunchy, ground-up ice and syrupy toppings.
Where you can get it: Louisiana prides itself on being a snoball state, so good luck finding a classic snow cone stand around here. But, if you’re really craving the childhood treat, you can find ready-made snow cones in the frozen sections of most grocery stores.
Snoball
What distinguishes a New Orleans-style snoball from a snow cone? Consistency. A snoball’s ice is much more finely crushed or shaved, creating a cloud-like texture for your taste buds.
Where you can get it: Baton Rouge is crawling with snoball joints. Some of our favorites include SnoMan Snowballs , Cool Delights Snowballs, Cool Tiger Ice Snoballs and Brain Freeze Delights.
Italian ice
Italian ice tastes like a snow cone or snoball but differs from the two on how it is made. While snoballs are formed and then layered with syrup and flavoring, Italian ice is made by actually mixing ice and fruit or flavoring together for hours at a time.
Where you can get it: If you don’t mind waiting, Rita’s Italian Ice is expected to debut in Baton Rouge by the end of August. The Pennsylvania chain specializes in Italian ice and custard and will be located on Lee Drive. If you just can’t wait any longer, you can also get Italian Ice at City Slice Pints & Pies.
Hawaiian shaved ice
This is similar to a snoball in that it consists of an extremely fine-textured ice and flavoring.
Where you can get it: Southfin Southern Poké recently unveiled Hawaiian shaved ice featuring real fruit and syrups without artificial colors or flavoring. Some exciting flavors: Salted Watermelon or Lime Coconut Mint.
Sorbet
Made with the same ingredients used for Italian ice, sorbet is often churned in an ice cream maker and has a thicker consistency. It is usually served in a bowl instead of a cup.
Where you can get it: La Divina Italian Café is known for its authentic Sorbetto with flavors like cucumber ginger, mango and peach.
Sherbet
Sherbet can be explained as a hybrid between sorbet and ice cream. The dessert is usually made by adding milk to a sorbet base and preparing it as you would ice cream.
Where you can get it: Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt has awesome sherbets and sorbets with flavors that vary by season. Baskin Robbins also always offers its classic rainbow sherbet.
Water ice
Water ice is actually the same thing as Italian ice but has developed a different name over time. The term “water ice” is typically used in Philadelphia and surrounding areas.
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Where you can get it: After the closure of many Philly-themed restaurants around Baton Rouge, we don’t know of any Baton Rouge restaurants offering water ice. If you know of any we might have overlooked, though, add it in the comments below.
Granita
A granita is a coarsely frozen beverage that is traditionally made from freezing liquid on sheets and scraping the frozen remains into a slush-like consistency. It can be fruit flavored, or also have deeper flavors like chocolate or coffee.
Where you can get it: Many coffee joints feature granitas on their menus. You can try them out at Garden District Coffee or PJ’s Coffee.