The history of the Pink Squirrel ice cream drink, invented in Milwaukee

If you’ve dined at a Wisconsin supper club or visited a traditional cocktail lounge, chances are you’ve heard of (or enjoyed) the Pink Squirrel. In the family of ice cream drinks like the Grasshopper and the Brandy Alexander, the Pink Squirrel has a special Milwaukee connection: it was, as far as anyone can tell, invented at Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge , 1579 S. 9th St., in the 1940s.

With just three ingredients — vanilla ice cream, creme de cacao (chocolate liqueur) and creme de noyaux (almond-flavored liqueur) — the Pink Squirrel is a sweet, nutty, creamy way to drink your dessert.

Both the rosy hue and nutty flavor can be attributed to the creme de noyaux, a liqueur made from apricot, peach or cherry kernels and originally colored with cochineal.

As the story goes, Bryant and Edna Sharp opened Bryant’s as a Miller Brewing tied house in 1936. Within a few years, Bryant abandoned the beer hall approach and transformed the business into the first cocktail lounge in Milwaukee and, quite likely, Wisconsin.

“People who knew him described him as quiet and serious, with a talent and passion for mixology,” a history of the bar says of Bryant Sharp. “He also was known for putting together unique flavors, which he sold to cordial companies.”

It’s only fitting that this classic ice cream cocktail can trace its roots to one of the Dairy State’s favorite drinking establishments.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The history of the Pink Squirrel ice cream drink, invented in Milwaukee