What Is Drumstick® Ice Cream?

Drumstick® ice cream cones are a brand of frozen treats produced by the Nestle® corporation and sold in freezer cases in stores across several countries, including the United States, Australia and England. The original Drumstick® ice cream cone was designed so ice cream could be served in an edible cone instead of in a paper cup or bowl. Toppings such as ground peanuts eventually were added to the ice cream cone and the idea was sold to Nestle® so it could be packaged for general sale. The name is said to have been created by the wife of the man who developed the treat, because she thought the treat looked like a chicken leg, or drumstick, when covered in peanuts. A Drumstick® ice cream treat is characterized by a waffle cone that is topped and partially filled with ice cream and coated in a layer of chocolate and crushed peanuts.

The original Drumstick® ice cream cone, which is still produced as of 2011, consists of an ice cream cone made from a batter that resembles waffle batter. A small amount of chocolate is allowed to pool in the pointed end of the cone, creating a small, solid block of candy. A rounded scoop of ice cream is coated in chocolate and then covered in crushed peanuts, after which it is placed on top of the ice cream cone. Some later versions have the interior of the ice cream cone coated in chocolate, as well as a small area of the outside rim where the ice cream rests. The entire cone is packaged and sold individually or in a box with other cones, sometimes of different flavors.

The popularity of Drumstick® ice cream treats led to the development and distribution of other flavors. Initially, this just meant changing the flavor of the vanilla ice cream to chocolate, but this gave way to changing the type of toppings, the shape of the ice cream on top, and even layering one flavor inside another. The expansion of varieties included mint, caramel, cones that filled to the top with solid chocolate, and Drumstick® ice cream cones that are either larger or smaller than a normal cone.

The motto for the Drumstick® ice cream cone is "The Original Sundae Cone"® and is on the packaging as part of the overall Drumstick® logo, reflecting the effort to compress a traditional ice cream sundae into a portable form. Despite the slogan and advertising, the Drumstick® brand and its developer did not originate the ice cream cone concept but, instead, expanded on it. A number of Drumstick® varieties are initially released exclusively in specific countries, only to be released later in all countries where the cone is sold.