By Ryan Nance

While the air conditioner originated in Florida, ice cream, probably of ancient Chinese origin, cools from the inside and tastes better. Sarasota isn’t lacking in the ice cream department, luckily for us. When sunny summer rolls in, there is nothing as exquisitely delightful as a frosty cone of your favorite flavor. But, the sweet summer magic doesn’t stop there – cups of the creamy stuff mixed with candies, nuts, syrups and more; the perfect milkshake, teetering on the precipice between a liquid and a solid; and the cones – waffles, sugar, dipped or encrusted with sprinkles. Here is an empire of ice cream.

Valhalla in a Cone
Undoubtedly the king of ice cream in Sarasota is Big Olaf Creamery. With stores on Bahia Vista Street, St. Armands Circle and Siesta Key Village, you’ll find a place to fulfill your urge for creamy, homemade ice cream – try blueberry cheesecake, black raspberry or Beth’s Peanut Butter Fudge in a waffle cone, or if you’re a vanilla type, add from a host of sweet toppings.

The King’s Jester
Hidden behind its name, Jolly is a worldly, sophisticated purveyor of fine sweets. The newest of the ice cream pack positions itself as an espresso bar, but serves gelato, Italian ice, in riotously good flavors including bacio (Italian for “kiss”), a chocolate hazelnut blend, straciatella, vanilla with a swirl of shaved chocolate folded in, the always-popular pistachio, mango, nougat, chocolate and the intriguing zuppa inglese ("English soup" in Italian), a frozen confection of sponge cake soaked in liqueur. Think frozen tiramisu. Its location at Main Street and Palm Avenue in downtown Sarasota is dressed in stylishly modern nostalgia complete with red-striped awnings.

The Farmland
Upon the lime soft-serve ice cream at Nokomis Groves alone could an empire be built. The citrus grower’s forte seems to not be limited to gift baskets and jams. The tangy flavors eaten on a bench outside the grove store on a warm summer’s afternoon – surely there is a song about it. Swirl your vanilla with orange or, if you dare, your lime with chocolate. It's all here, in the middle of an orange grove, on Albee Farm Road in Nokomis.

The Empire’s Glory Days
The wooden sign hanging out front reads “A Small Taste of the Past,” and the nostalgia comes in its foaming sodas and frosty malteds made to order. The Soda Fountain in Venice’s charming downtown has the authentic vintage chrome stools with red vinyl seats, the long counter, the jukebox and the ice cream magic you’d hope for. The milkshakes are reported to be the perfect balance between spoon-scoopable and straw-drinkable, with flavors ranging from the popular chocolate to the extraordinary chocolate-marshmallow-banana.

The Frontiers
A favorite among those waiting for a movie at Hollywood 20, Cold Stone Creamery on Main Street in Sarasota not only has an ice-cream-headache-inducing array of flavors, toppings and cones, but also that curious cold stone upon which your topping of choice is dramatically folded into your flavor of choice. It certainly is gourmet. Feel free to mix and match to find the perfect, highly customized ice cream creation. Banana-coffee ice cream with gummy bears and brownie bits? Why not.

The Court Magician
The nearly life-sized polar bear out front is dwarfed by the ice-cream-cone-shaped building that is Twistee Treat on North Tamiami Trail. Choose a soft serve or pick from a long list of blended flavors in a “wizard,” including macaroon, German chocolate, Key lime and toasted coconut. Drive through for kitsch in full effect. It’s not a regal place, but it sure is magical.

And the list goes on
Without statistical research it’s just a guess, but Sarasota County must have an exceptionally high ice-cream-parlor-to-ice-cream-lover ratio. You often just come upon a heretofore-unknown vendor of the icy stuff. But in the interest of matching the right person to the right cone, here is a short list of other Sarasota ice cream destinations: Mackinac Island fudge and ice cream at Kilwin's Chocolates on St. Armands Circle. Dreamy creamy Marble Slab Creamery in the Lakewood Ranch Town Center. Evie's Ice Cream Parlor on Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota. Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop on St. Armands Circle. Scoops Ice Cream & Yogurt on Tamiami Trail in Venice. Piggy's Old Fashion Ice Cream at the intersection of Bee Ridge and Beneva Roads in Sarasota.