Science, art combine for Fifty Licks Ice Cream flavors

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Fifty Licks Ice Cream founder said the idea for the business came through beer and tequila. He also told KOIN 6 News the idea for one of their most popular flavors came to him in a dream.

“About 10 years ago, I had a dream that I made toasted milk ice cream, and I woke up from the dream and I remembered what it tasted like in the dream, but how the heck am I going to toast milk? I don’t know. Toasting is a chemical reaction that happens at about 350. So water and milk boil at 212. So the only way to make it work is to remove all the water from the milk,” Draizin said. “So we take powdered milk, we roast it in the oven, and then we blend that in with the milk, sugar, egg, and cream. And the final product, which we’ve had on the menu pretty much all the time for the last 10 years, tastes exactly like it did in the dream.”

Understanding the science behind this is the key — and that is Draizin’s happy spot.

“I’m happiest where art and science intersect with each other. That’s what I love.”

That love for clever creations shows up in Fifty Licks Ice Cream. On this day, production manager Michael Owen works on a batch of the flavor Brownie vs Blondie. The diced treats go into the ice cream machines and the process to get the texture just right is where the art and science come into play.

Draizin thinks the person having the most fun at the company is Rowena Boudon, the head of research and development who developed all the flavors in the past few years.

Creating ice cream in Portland means he’s living the dream in a city that never ceases to inspire him.

“People have discernment here, and I don’t think that this business would’ve been successful in that way if we did it somewhere else,” he said. “But also I get inspired by all the other people around town that are making wonderful things.”

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