The race to the most indulgent scoop of ice cream of the season has begun. Graeter’s Ice Cream, America’s oldest family-owned and operated ice cream maker famous for its French Pot process, is releasing a new limited-edition flavor for Derby season: Backstretch Bourbon Cherry. 

In a collaboration worthy of the Winner’s Circle, Graeter’s and Churchill Downs have teamed up to create a bourbon-kissed ice cream blended with black cherries and pralines, intentionally crafted to capture the thrill, tradition and pageantry of the race. 

This decadent flavor is an officially licensed ice cream of the Kentucky Derby.  

“We’ve long believed a collaboration between Graeter’s and Churchill Downs was a natural fit,” said Richard Graeter, fourth-generation president and CEO of Graeter’s Ice Cream. “When the Churchill Downs team visited Cincinnati late last year, they experienced our factory tour and tasted ice cream straight from our French Pots – and we introduced them to what is now Backstretch Bourbon Cherry. The flavor and name were developed by Graeter’s with their input, and Churchill Downs approved it on the very first bite. From that moment, we knew we had a winning flavor.”

Backstretch Bourbon Cherry is available starting April 13, for nationwide shipping at Graeters.com, as well as by the pint and by the scoop at all Graeter’s scoop shops. Pints of Backstretch Bourbon Cherry can also be found starting April 15 at select grocery stores including Kroger in Ohio, Kentucky and Indianapolis, Dorothy Lane Markets, Jungle Jim’s and Central Market in Texas. 

About Graeter’s
Since 1870, five generations of the Graeter family have remained committed to handcrafting only the most indulgent ice cream available. From humble beginnings serving ice cream from a cart in Cincinnati to the nationwide presence of Graeter’s Ice Cream today, the family has stayed true to the traditional “French Pot” method and is the only company in the world that still makes ice cream at scale this way. Graeter’s has 50+ retail stores and ships more than 300,000 pints annually. The brand can also be found in more than 3,000 grocery stores across the United States.