Ice Cream Shop Profile

Appears in
A Passion for Ice Cream

By Emily Luchetti

Published 2006

  • About

Babcock’s Ice Cream

BABCOCK HALL

1605 LINDEN DRIVE

MADISON, WISCONSIN

MOTTO: None. In their area, everyone knows the reputation of their ice cream. It speaks for itself.

YEAR OPENED: 1951.

OWNER: University of Wisconsin.

HOW THE NAME WAS CHOSEN: Professor Babcock developed the industry standard for testing the butterfat level in ice cream.

NUMBER OF FLAVORS IN REPERTOIRE: Two hundred; twenty-five on hand monthly.

MOST POPULAR FLAVORS: Vanilla, chocolate truffle, cookie dough.

SIGNATURE FLAVORS: Orange custard-chocolate chip and Crazy Legs (named for local football legend El Roy Hirsh: red-colored vanilla ice cream with chocolate-coated football-shaped caramels); peppermint during the winter.