Salt & Straw Announces October “Scoops and Skulls” Series

You can enjoy the greatly anticipated return of Salt & Straw ice cream’s newest menu celebrating two of October’s biggest celebrations: Halloween and Dia de los Muertos.

The “Scoops and Skulls” Series, available throughout October, features five unique flavors from co-founder and head ice cream innovator Tyler Malek, including the return of three beloved flavors along with two new ones made in partnership with Paola Briseño-González, food writer and leader of Los Angeles’ Dia de los Muertos festival, the largest in the United States.

Paola and Tyler first met after Paola immigrated to Portland from Mexico, where she used cooking as a way to stay connected with her friends and family. Her collaboration with Salt & Straw is meant to shed a new light on the culinary traditions of Dia de Los Muertos, incorporating seasonal flavors and preparations found at old school Mexican celebrations.

Salt & Straw also brings back their longest-standing flavors on the menu in partnership with Monica Martinez of Don Bugito, incorporating real bugs to show that creepy crawly critters are not so creepy after all.

The series is also a nostalgic nod to founders’ Kim and Tyler Malek’s grandmother, who hosted an annual Halloween party where she completely transformed her basement into a haunted house for all kids in the neighborhood to enjoy.

The flavors serve as a perfect way to celebrate all of the traditions of the season and satisfy your sweet tooth.

Additionally, kids under age 16 who come to Salt & Straw in costume on Halloween will receive a free scoop!

Flavors include:

The Great Candycopia — Housemade candy—inspired by Kit Kats, Reeses, Snickers, and Heath bars—folded into salted butterscotch ice cream.

Jack o’ Lantern Pumpkin Bread — Pumpkin-spiced ice cream with sweet pieces of freshly baked pumpkin bread, swaths of whipped cream cheese frosting and pinches of warming spices.

Don Bugito’s Creepy Crawly Critters — Matcha ice cream with toffee-brittle mealworms and crunchy chocolate crickets (yes, real bugs!) from Don Bugito, a company on a mission to change how the world sees (and eats) insects.

Chocolate Champurrado with Sesame Toffee — Spiced champurrado (masa-thickened drinking cacao) ice cream honoring the Day of the Dead with sweetly skull-popping chunks of palanqueta, a traditional Mexican-style sesame toffee, made in collaboration with food writer Paola Briseño-González to evoke the experience of dipping sesame-laden pan de muerto in warm champurrado

Blackberry & Masa Tamale Sherbet (v) — A monster vegan mashup in tribute to Michoacán’s tamal from the Purépecha region: half masa coconut cream sherbet, half juicy marionberry sherbet, made in collaboration with Paola Briseño-González.