Now that summer solstice is behind us, the dawn of the season is upon us, and that means clusters of people lingering by ice cream shops, stands and carts. Add an unforgiving heat wave plaguing both the east and west coasts to the equation, and the allure of everyone’s favorite frozen treat becomes flat-out feverish.

Therefore, there’s no better opportunity to sample some of the most daring, unique and prized iterations of the summer staple that the area has to offer. Although rooted in tradition, ice cream is indeed a blank slate that can be drawn on an infinite amount of ways. The only limitation is one’s creativity and that creativity was the focus of this week.

This week, in an effort to counter the oppressive heat, I sampled some of the most innovative ice cream I could find. Each post will feature a new local shop and the funky flavors I devoured. Enjoy!

Mount Dessert Island Ice Cream – Portland, ME – Flavors: Basil and Coriander-Lemon Curd

Based in Bar Harbor, ME, MDIIC specializes in small batch (<5 gallons at a time), high butterfat ice cream. Their popularity in Northern Maine resulted in a small handful of additonal locations popping up, both in-and-outside the U.S. Whenever I’m in Portland, a stop at their shop on Exchange Street in the heart of the Old Port district is a must.

In addition to their dedication to quality, MDIIC is renowned for a slew of bold, experimental flavors ranging from modest to borderline macabre. Whether it’ s blackstrap [molasses] banana (the first flavor I ever tried) to the creatively named “Bay of Figs” (a creation far more successful than the event it’s named after) to the mystically satisfying Thai Coconut Chili.

Just last year, I encountered their most bizarre flavor to date: wasabi, with or without chocolate (I opted for the former; go big or go home). All shock value aside, it was a stunner; perfectly balanced and punchy without numbing the mouth. After that experience, I had high expectations going into the store this year.

Their flavor list is beyond intriguing, making choosing your flavors a challenging, but worthy, task. After staring at the selection for an embarrassingly long time, I settled on their basil and coriander-lemon balm flavors; figuring they’d be the cool, refreshing flavors needed to repress the 95 degree heat.

Both flavors were unbelievably fresh-tasting. Their Basil ice cream was herbal and sweet without tasting like a jar of pesto. Rather, it tasted like freshly picked basil from a summer garden highened with just enough sweetness. Similarly, the Coriander-Lemon Balm tasted of fresh lemon juice and zest; bright and bracing.

Choosing a sugar cone rather than a cup as my serving vessile was questionable at best, as the constant swarm of heat resulted in the two beautiful scoops dripping away and caressing my hand, then my arm, and finally the brick pathway where I stood, helpless. After about five minutes, my leisuringly licking become a race to the finish as drops continously dripped down to the ground like rain; sweet, delicious rain.

So while the experience was shorter than preferred, the flavors were on point, and I’m already awaiting my next visit to their little, Voltaire-adorned storefront.

Visit Mount Desert Island Ice Cream at 51 Exchange Street in Portland, ME. MDIIC also has locations in Bar Harbor, ME, Washington D.C. and Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan.