Silver Moon Rising

Strawberry Daiquiri in ice cream form.

Working a dozen years in the topsy-turvy industry of high-tech in Silicon Valley is enough to drive anyone to drink.

For Sheri Tate, though, it drove her to ice cream — laced wickedly with liqueurs.

Tate traded high-tech for artisanal ice cream three years ago, when she launched her Los Gatos-based company, Silver Moon, a purveyor of ice creams and sorbets made with high-end liqueurs.

Tate has a long fondness for ice cream. She made the hand-cranked stuff for years just for fun. Friends and family were so enamored with her concoctions, they urged her to start selling it.

A big bowl of dreamy Orange Creamsicle ice cream.

And so she did, combining two of her after-dinner favorites — dessert and liqueur all in one.

There are 14 flavors available by the pint for $9 each. Silver Moon is available at such Bay Area stores as: Ben Lomond Market, Bianchini’s, Draeger’s, Gene’s Fine Foods, the Milk Pail, Scotts Valley Market, Willows Market, Zanotto’s Family Markets, the Real Food Company, and Oakville Grocery.

The ice creams and sorbets I tried were all wonderfully creamy and smooth. To me, the subtle alcohol-taste, which gives this line such a distinct flavor, came through more in the ice creams, rather than in the sorbets, which tasted mainly of fruit (which is not necessarily a bad thing at all).

My favorites were the “Praline Irish Cream” made with lush Irish liqueur and candied pecan pralines; the “Creme de Mint Chip,” which reminded me of an old-fashioned grasshopper pie (remember those?); and the “Orange Creamsicle,”  a blend of creme fraiche, candied orange peel and Cointreau, which brought back fond memories of 50/50 bars, those childhood frozen popsicles of vanilla ice cream enrobed in bright orange sherbet.

Who can resist such flavors that are so fun, light-hearted, and yet a little naughty, too?

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17 comments

  • The orange creamsicle sounds yummy! I’ll have to give it a try! A take off the traditional Kohr’s swirled soft serve ubiquitous on the Jersey shore. Great article in time for National Ice Cream Day this sunday!

    -Trent

    (For more on National Ice Cream Day/Month see http://blog.smartshopit.com/2009/07/16/we-all-scream-for-ice-cream-national-ice-cream-day-month/ )

  • Those all sound so good! I put alcohol in my homemade ice creams to keep them soft and like to pair flavors with alcohols that make sense, so these definitely appeal to me!

  • I just saw these at Sonoma Market! I had them on my list to get a couple to try at a dinner party this Sunday. It caught my eye because the market has a big sign in the freezer case stating one must be 21 years of age to purchase these products! Did you try the pomegranite one?

  • Oh, I loooove ice cream with alcohol in it. They do that a lot in Italy and Argentina. I always wondered why they didn’t do it here. I’m sure it’s the whole fear of kids eating it and getting drunk! Yeah, right. Anywho, these sound amazing. I hope I can find them in the stores because I want a container of that Orange Creamsicle!

  • I am drooling. I make a pinot noir sorbet but nothing as complicated as these sound. YUM!!!

    I have a total hankering for fresh made ice cream today too!

  • wow! i need to try them myself. $9 for a pint though, yikes.

  • Silver Moon Desserts ARE amazing. I like that they aren’t overly sweet, you really get the true flavor. While the price point is up there, the flavors are so intense a small amount truly satisfies, and it’s an affordable luxury. They’re moving onto the fine markets shelves all over the Bay: http://www.silvermoondesserts.com/locations.html

  • I almost wrote a post about Silver Moon, but with Mercer’s instead. Now that I’m thinking about it, I don’t know why I didn’t add a link to Silver Moon as well! 🙂

  • Hi Carolyn, Thanks for the great blog on Silver Moon Desserts! And it is fun to see the online chatter;-) I wanted to tell your readers that if they sign up for our SweetTalk e-newsletter, they can be entered to win one of our Silver Moon Heaven on Earth parties for ten people, with a party-pack of Silver Moon, a fun scooper and some colorful serving bowls! http://www.silvermoondesserts.com/signup.html

  • It’s hard to choose one, but if we absolutely, positively have to? Praline Irish Cream. Ooooooo, baby!

  • Your speaking my language here liqueur and sorbet are some of my favorite combinations

  • I live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, indeed a long way for ice cream to travel. 30 years ago I sampled the flavors at the original Steve’s in Somerville and fancy myself as somewhat of a connoiseur. We can’t get SM in the local markets -yet- but have ordered Silver Moon three times six flavors each time, insulated with dry ice. It has always arrived in fine condition. My favorites are Mango Mimosa, Praline and Orange Creamsicle. The OC reminds me of my days as an ice cream boy pushing a cart through the neighborhood and eating through my profits.

  • The hubs would love Creme de Mint Chip but the Orange Creamsicle would be all mine! Good thing that we like different flavors – a good excuse to get more than one pint! 😎

  • I’ve tried several of the Silver Moon desserts and they all have such a texture of flavor it’s hard to choose my favorite. They are definitely unique and extremely tasty — a treat for all of you foodies out there. The price point may seem high, but it’s only because it’s made with some good stuff. Yummy!

  • These all sound incredible, and I’m getting ideas for my ice cream maker!

  • how interesting! I’ve never heard of it and how funny that they card you at the checkout stand for ice cream…

  • well that was inspirational. can churn some of that irish bailey praline tonite. wonder how Silver Moon Rising stacks up against other heavy hitting Bay Area ice cream shops? Bi-Rite? Ici? Slocombe?

    I recently made mint julep ice cream w/ some bourbon and it was just friggin heavily…

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