Here's How To Celebrate National Ice Cream Day

National Ice Cream Day is coming up on July 15th. This year, I didn’t attempt my Ice Cream Crawl, because forcing myself to get ice cream every day for a week, while fun at first, turned out to make me a little tired of ice cream (a tragedy). I will keep it simple this year and go to my favorite milkshake spot in town to try a few new things.DRP Belle Haven Custard Shack is, well, a frozen custard place…so not ice cream. Frozen custard is a little different, but similar enough that it still makes sense to head to one of the best dessert stops in Alexandria to celebrate this most wonderful of holidays! Frozen custard differs from ice cream in that it has an especially creamy texture due to the addition of pasteurized egg yolks.DRP Custard Shack uses fresh ingredients and steers away from artificial flavoring. While they always have chocolate and vanilla (both gluten-free), they also offer a flavor of the day. Check out their Facebook page for the full flavor calendar and see what’s new in the month of July. DRP offers two to three new flavors a month, so there’s almost always something new to try. Their fastest-selling custard is cookies and cream, but the brownie and cookie dough flavor is a staff favorites. Also available are daily sorbets, made with water, sugar, and fresh fruit, along with fantastic milkshakes, brownie sundaes, root beer floats, daily toppings, puppy pops for your BFF, and to-go pints and quarts.On July 15th, the custard of the day is Chunky Monkey. Also available are daily sorbets, made with water, sugar, and fresh fruit, along with fantastic milkshakes, brownie sundaes, root beer floats, daily toppings, puppy pops for your BFF, and to-go pints and quarts. Check out their Facebook page for the full flavor calendar.DRP Belle Haven Custard Shack, located on Belle Haven Road next to DRP Belle Haven, has been in business since summer 2015. It is staffed by the friendliest high school and college students and focuses on community involvement and all things local (DRP is a big sponsor of West Potomac Athletics!). From May through September, they’re open from 5-9pm Monday through Thursday, noon-10pm on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday from noon-9pm.If you can’t head that way on July 15th, you get another — arguably more accurately celebratory — chance on August 8th, the official National Frozen Custard Day. Two chances to justifiably eat all the custard we can handle? We’re in.