Imperial Woodpecker Sno-Balls

Imperial Woodpecker Sno-Balls
145 7th Ave S.
(between 10th St & Charles St)
Manhattan, NY 10014

On hot summer days, a friend of mine who used to live in the West Village used to bemoan that there were no sno-balls to be had in NYC. A delectable treat from our childhoods, this fruit-flavored, icy concoction was more addictive than the crack cocaine that ravaged neighborhoods in our hometown of Baltimore.

For those not initiated, a sno-ball is a dessert made from finely shaved block ice, with the consistency halfway between an Italian ice and a snow cone. Various fruit-flavored syrups (made from artificially flavored sugar-syrups) are placed on the sno-ball, and the resulting mixture is eaten with a plastic spoon and/or a straw.

The Yelp directory incorrectly lists this place as "Imperial Woodpecker Snow-Cones"; on their business card, they are officially called "Imperial Woodpecker Sno-Balls." In fact, a sno-ball is texturally different from a sno-cone: the former is made from milled ice with a rougher, larger particle, while the former is from shaved ice, and compacted to form a snowball (hence, the name). It is also not halo-halo: besides marshmallow fluff or chocolate syrup, there are no other toppings placed on it.

Apparently, sno-cones aren't just a Baltimore thing, but also a New Orleans thing. Nessa Peterson, the plucky owner of Imperial Woodpecker Sno-Cones, thought it a good idea to import the sno-cone along with other great Nawlin's contributions (the Sazerac, Dixieland jazz, Emeril Lagasse). I'm a purist and prefer my sno-cone out of a styrofoam cup, but she serves in in various sizes of Chinese takeout container. There are about 30 flavors to choose from (yes, Tiger's Blood is one the menu), which are made from simple sugar syrup and concentrate by two sno-cone companies in the Southern US. The flavors weren't revelatory by any means, but when you have one on a hot, humid summer day, I'll swear you'll swear by them.