Do you remember the big, bright, bulbously shaped snocone huts that used to line the public beaches, staffed always by a highschooler who would rather be flirting with their peers on the beach in the sunshine but were, instead, relegated to live in a polo shirt in a small hut shaped like a dessert with a cheap fan pointed in their sweaty direction for the remainder of the summer? That teenager would make you a shaved ice treat served in a paper cup, doused in electric neon colored, full of dye no 3 sweet fruity syrup, and your day at the lake would be complete.

The poor working teen was doomed, but not you. You held summertime right there in your hands. THAT was the power of a snocone. And now you can have that feeling again, without the teen angst or chemical additives and with a whole lot more fresh flavor. In flavors like Cherry Lime Thyme and Berry Sage, your upgraded snocones will be the talk of the neighborhood!

Ironically, our favorite time to make snocones isn't summer at all, but winter, when we can skip the ice shaving and scoop up fresh snow. We take a break from sledding or skiing down the hog fuel piles at the farm and bring out cups, whiskey, vodka, and some bottles of syrup for a serve yourself up snocone bar. The kids and adults enjoy it equally, especially because we only get a few good snows in a typical year here in Western Washington state.

If you have a shaved ice maker, you can enjoy these yearround!

Makes 1

• 2 ounces Simple Goodness Syrup of your preferred flavor
• cup full of shaved ice or snow
• 1.5 ounces your liquor of choice (optional)

Pour the liquor, if using, over the ice first. Then add the syrup, pouring slowly while rotating the cup to try to cover the ice evenly. Serve with a fat straw and a spoon.