Wine and ice cream? New shop in Old Town offers unique pairing
Old Town Bluffton’s newest ice cream shop has traditional flavors that will appeal to the kids, but the real draw may be the flavors that appeal to adults.
Joe’s Ice Cream and Beverage Co., located at 15 Bruin Road in Old Town, is offering four wine-based ice cream flavors: Cherry Merlot; Peach White Zinfandel; Chocolate Cabernet; and Spice, a red mulled wine with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove.
“You have to be 21,” said the shop’s owner Joe O’Rourke. “They are up to 5% alcohol by volume, which is similar to a light beer.”
He explained that the wine ice cream is not just wine flavoring.
“It’s the real deal,” he said.
The shop’s freezer cases also hold an array of non-alcoholic flavors, both traditional and seasonal. One scoop in a cone or a cup is $3.25 for traditional ice cream; wine varieties are $4.50.
The menu also includes coffee — hot and iced — plus espresso and tea. Prices range from $2 for a small basic cup of joe to $4.50 for the largest chai latte.
For those who want to combine the shop’s two specialties, there’s affogato, a 2-ounce shot of espresso on top of a scoop of vanilla ice cream, for $4.75.
“As far as coffee goes, ... anything you think of, we can probably make it,” O’Rourke said.
He opened his shop a little over two weeks ago in a renovated space that once housed a barbershop.
The inside is now bright white and airy, with a row of yellow high-top tables. A garage door-style opening offers customers access to outside seating area on a brand new deck under the branches of a giant oak tree.
The space is meant to be pet-friendly and kid-friendly, O’Rourke said.
O’Rourke, who moved to the Lowcountry four years ago from central New York, said the shop is a change in careers for him; he decided to leave a corporate job to be his own boss.
“I love the people here. I wanted to stay here,” he said. “It had always been a dream of mine to open up an ice cream and coffee shop, and that’s how this thing kind of went forward from there.”
Hours currently are noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. The shop is open an hour later, till 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
O’Rourke suggested customers watch his social media postings because hours may change seasonally.
He said he’s had a positive response from customers so far and is open to hosting birthday parties and other events.
“It’s great ice cream. It’s a great atmosphere,” he said. “I’m all about the community, so whatever ideas come at me, if we can make it work, we’re going to make it work.”
