Growing up I ate my share of blue gelati, a sugary light-blue flavor of Italian ice. As far I can remember there was nothing great about the taste. The sole reason kids ate it was that it turned their lips, teeth and tongue an appalling blue.It wasn't until recently that I heard of Blue Moon ice cream, a flavor that originated in Milwaukee, and was enjoyed by kids in the northern Midwest for the same staining ability that drew me and my little friends to blue gelati. But there's more to Blue Moon, which is said to have been invented in the late 1940s or 1950s. The turquoise colored confection is said to have a flavor that's been described as like the milk after a bowl of Froot Loops.
The folks at Chicago's Edgar A. Weber & Co., which now owns the formula, say the beguiling Blue Moon has a "cherry, citrusy, fruity-type flavor." Fans have tried to guess the ingredients and many have posted recipes on the web calling for such things as pineapple and curaçao. Weber & Co. won't reveal the secret ingredient, but says that a colorless version is used in medicines and beverages to mask bitter flavors.
Regardless of what the recipe for Blue Moon is, one thing remains true: it's only available in the northern Midwest. This coupled with childhood nostalgia has made the bizarre flavor a hot item for online ice cream stores, which charge upwards of $10 a pint.
