I told you about Clementine’s Naughty & Nice Creamery about a year ago in my roundup of St. Louis ice cream. But then I went there earlier this week with my boyfriend and I remembered how much I love it. Clementine’s deserves its own blog post.

When I moved back to St. Louis a year and a half ago (I can’t believe it’s been that long), I made it my mission to rediscover the city. I’d been away for five years and a lot had changed.

Growing up, I usually got frozen custard during the summer or a scoop of ice cream from a national chain like Baskin Robbins. There wasn’t a place to get more inventive flavors but at the time, I didn’t care. All I wanted was mint chocolate chip or cookie dough with rainbow sprinkles on top.

Then I moved away and discovered a whole new world of ice cream. In D.C., some of my favorite places served flavors such as biscuits and peach jam and Thai iced tea. I never realized that ice cream could be a blank canvas for flavor experimentation, but it makes sense. Without flavors, ice cream wouldn’t be much. The cream and sugar are the perfect backdrop for daring combinations.

Which brings me to Clementine’s. I’d read about the shop in local food magazines before I moved back to St. Louis so I was dying to try it. When I got back in town, it was almost winter so I wasn’t craving ice cream as much. I waited until this time last year to try Clementine’s.

Clementine’s is truly a groundbreaking shop in St. Louis. They use all-natural ingredients to make their ice cream and they take risks with flavors. One of the first times I went, I got a scoop of golden milk with turmeric and a scoop of black cherry ash with activated charcoal, an ingredient du jour. The scoops looked good together on a cone, the colors popped in a picture, AND the ice cream tasted good. No, not good: incredible. I’m not exaggerating.

You can taste the difference when you eat Clementine’s. The ice cream is light on the palette but full of flavor. You don’t feel heavy or bogged down after eating it because it doesn’t have preservatives or fillers. Clementine’s sources many of its ingredients locally, so you’re also tasting ice cream that makes the most of the region’s produce.

One of my favorite parts about Clementine’s is their “boozy” flavors, i.e., ones that are full of alcohol. I’m not saying this because I’m stuck at age 21 and I’m excited about the prospect of infusing booze into everything I eat. I’m saying it because the booze actually enhances the ice cream. Maple bourbon with salted candied pecans is one of my favorite flavors. It’s sweet, rich, salty, and mellow at the same time.

I’m generally not into vegan ice cream because I have no reason to be, but the vegan ice cream at Clementine’s is worth trying. Last summer on a very hot day, I drove to Clementine’s new location in DeMun to get a couple scoops. I ended up getting the “better than bacon” flavor, which is chocolate and peanut butter swirl, and the vegan salted caramel. Both were delicious and light and held up well on a waffle cone. The vegan salted caramel is especially good because it pairs well with most other flavors in the case.

ANYWAY. I know I sound like an extended sales pitch for Clementine’s but it’s only because the ice cream is so good. If you’re in St. Louis this summer, you should definitely check it out. The shop has a location in Lafayette Square, a historic neighborhood near downtown St. Louis, and a location in DeMun, which is right next to Forest Park.

I can’t wait to stop by the shop again soon. Knowing me, it won’t be long.