Old-fashioned ice cream drinks are making a comeback in the Twin Cities

While no one can definitively say who invented the ice cream cocktail, it's certain that the mix was perfected in the magical land of dairy and drinking culture: Wisconsin.

It makes sense that the same geographic space that brought us supper clubs and squeaky-fresh cheese curds would also fine-tune the art of placing alcohol in frozen, sweetened milk. Those drinks became a hallmark of 1950s-era dining, a popular way to extend an evening out during the era of rural supper clubs and Saturday night prime rib specials.

The ice cream cocktail came into the modern era, at least in the Twin Cities, in the 2000s thanks to Town Talk Diner in Minneapolis. The historic Lake Street diner used its setting to buzz up ice cream and alcohol, all while heralding the rise of the craft cocktail movement.

Ice cream drinks are on the rise once again, just in time for the spring thaw. Whether dipping into a supper club that hearkens back to rural Wisconsin classics, or a modern pub with a soft-serve machine and endless ideas, now is the perfect time to slurp and see why these drinks continue to capture the imagination.

Ice cream cocktails "are definitely a way to finish a meal," says Graham Herceg, bartender at Creekside Supper Club in Minneapolis. "Not to say you can't start that way."

4820 Chicago Av., Mpls., 612-354-3675, creeksidemn.com

The reimagined supper club has a dessert drink menu straight out of the 1960s with Grasshoppers, Pink Squirrels and Golden Cadillacs. The

1096 Grand Av., St. Paul, 651-289-4990, thelexmn.com

The historic restaurant opened in 1935, and many touches of old school elegance remain. Behind the bar, Andrew Pickar loves whipping up these classics. "It's exciting to see the renaissance of these drinks that are coming back into fashion," he says. The restaurant serves a Grasshopper, Pink Squirrel, Brandy Alexander and Golden Cadillac, all inside giant brandy snifters ($12-$14). How to choose? Don't. Pickar suggests bringing a group of friends with a plan to share.

858 Payne Av., St. Paul, 651-348-8450, esbstp.com