Ben & Jerry's has been churning out delicious and creative ice creams since the '70s. Their interests aren’t confined to just ice cream, though. The company also has quite a passion for music, sponsoring events such as Newport Folk Festival and Bonnaroo for many years. Ben & Jerry's even held their own music festival in the nineties.
The Vermont-based creamery has also famously teamed up with musicians to create new flavors. While most of the flavors were only temporary, some favorites are still being sold all over the world. Plus, many of the musician-inspired ice creams are linked with charity organizations. Here’s a list of our favorite Ben & Jerry’s collaborations with musicians.
Warning: Do not read if hungry. May cause you to immediately consume all of the ice cream in your fridge!
Cherry Garcia
Cherry Garcia was the first ice cream named for a rock star when it was released in 1987, and it's still available today. Named in honor of the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, the flavor has cherry ice cream with fudge flakes and cherries.
Phish Food
Phish Food was released in 1997. Sharing Vermont-roots, Phish teamed up with Ben & Jerry's to create a chocolate ice cream with gooey marshmallow, caramel swirls, and chocolate fish. A portion of the profits go towards Phish's Waterwheel Foundation.
Satisfy My Bowl
Ben & Jerry's most recent music-inspired ice cream, "Satisfy My Bowl" is in memory of reggae star and peace advocate, Bob Marley. The ice cream has a base of banana ice cream with caramel cookie swirls and chocolatey peace signs. In partnership with the 1Love Foundation, this flavor will help to fund the Jamaican organization Partners for Youth Empowerment.
Bohemian Raspberry
In honor of Queen's Freddie Mercury, Ben & Jerry's created Bohemian Raspberry in 2007. The vanilla ice cream has raspberry swirls and fudge brownie chunks. Part of the proceeds go to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, which was set up in memory of Freddie Mercury in 1992. The organization "is responsible for raising awareness and funding charities globally in the worldwide fight against AIDS." So far, this rockin' raspberry treat has only been released in the UK.
One Sweet Whirled
Ben & Jerry's launched this flavor in collaboration with Dave Matthews Band in 2002 to contribute in the fight against climate change. It has a caramel and coffee ice cream base with marshmallows and caramel swirls, plus coffee flavored fudge chips. Parts of profits went to SaveOurEnvironment.org.
Dave Matthews Band Magic Brownies
As far as we know, Dave Matthews Band are the only group lucky enough to have two Ben & Jerry's flavors. This one was launched to accompany the group's Lick Global Warming campaign in 2005. It has a base of black raspberry ice cream swirled with sweet cream ice cream and fudgy brownies. Similarly to the "One Sweet Whirled" flavor also sponsored by Dave Matthews Band, parts of profits went to SaveOurEnvironment.org.
If I Had 1,000,000 Flavours
This ice cream was inspired by the Barenaked Ladies song "If I Had $1,000,000." While the ice cream doesn't have literally a million flavors in it, it does have quite few. Chocolate and vanilla ice creams with chocolate-covered toffee, white covered chunks, peanut butter cups, and chocolate-covered almonds. While you're going into a sugar coma, feel good that you've helped a good cause. Part of the proceeds from this ice cream are donated to ABC Literacy, a charity which provides literacy programs throughout Canada.
Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road
Chocolate ice cream with peanut butter cookie dough, butter brickle and white chocolate chunks. A fabulous ice cream for the even more fabulous Elton John. This limited edition flavor was created to support the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Imagine Whirled Peace
The caramel and sweet cream ice creams with fudge peace signs and chunks of toffee cookie were put together to honor John Lennon and his message of peace. Part of the profits were given to Peace One Day.
Willie Nelson's Country Peach Cobbler
In honor of Willie Nelson's southern roots, Ben & Jerry's created a peach ice cream with cinnamon-sugar shortbread pieces and peach swirls in 2007. Part of proceeds go to Farm Aid, an organization which Willie Nelson co-founded, to support family farmers across America.
Bonnaroo Coffee Caramel Buzz
Introduced in 2011, this flavor was created in collaboration with the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The ice cream has a base of coffee malt ice cream with whiskey caramel swirls and English toffee pieces. Part of the profits went towards the Bonnaroo Works Fund, which "supports regional and national organizations with a mission of making communities healthy in areas of the arts, education, and environmental sustainability." So while you can only enjoy the magic of Bonnaroo for four days, you can enjoy this caramel coffee treat every day of the year.
Glastonberry
In 2006, this ice cream was created to commemorate Britain's biggest annual music festival, Glastonbury. This flavor has a base of vanilla ice cream with fudge brownies and berry swirls.
With all this talk of ice cream, the team here at Zumic have come up with a few of our own ideas for new flavors inspired by our favorite musicians, such as:
Cinnamon Swirl
Inspired by Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl." Ingredients might include sweet cream ice cream with cinnamon swirls and shortbread pieces. Farm Aid cohorts Willie Nelson and Dave Matthews have flavors, so maybe it's time for Neil Young.
Tangled Up In Blueberry
Inspired by Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue." Ingredients might include blueberry ice cream with blueberry chunks and graham cracker pieces.
Brown Sugar Satisfaction
Who's more Rock n Roll than the Rolling Stones? Ingredients in this "Loving Cup" might include Tennessee whiskey flavored ice cream with brown sugar swirls.
Red Hot Chocolate Peppers
Inspired by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and their kickin' sound. Ingredients might include dark chocolate ice cream with chocolate chunks and chili flakes.
Tell us which ice cream you like best and/or make your own suggestion for a flavor in the comments below!
