Friday, July 18, 2008

Ben & Jerry's makes 'Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road'

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Ben & Jerry's has done it again: Hoping to honor rocker Elton John before his first-ever Vermont performance, Vermont's crazy-cool confectioner has whipped up a flavor just for him — "Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road."

The limited-batch ice cream, made from "an outrageous symphony of decadent chocolate ice cream, peanut butter cookie dough, butter brickle and white chocolate chunks," is a take-off on his 1970s album and song Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

It will be available from July 18 to July 25 in the company's Vermont scoop shops, with proceeds going to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, officials said Tuesday.

It'll also be doled out in cups, cones and dishes at John's sold-out Champlain Valley Expo show Monday.

The Burlington-based ice cream maker — whose rock 'n' roll-themed products have honored late Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia ("Cherry Garcia") and Vermont-bred jam rockers Phish ("PhishFood") — wanted to toast John because he was finally getting around to playing the Green Mountain State.

He's performed in every other U.S. state.

"It's hard to cram 50 years of musical history that Elton John brings to the table in one pint," said Sean Greenwood, a spokesman for Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings Inc.

John collaborated, and has given his stamp of approval to the ice cream, even though he hasn't actually tasted it, Greenwood said.

"He said, 'Chocolate and peanut butter, guys, if you can make something like that work,'" said Greenwood.

Tickets for the show — priced at $75 to $135 — are sold out.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

No comments: