According to the International Dairy Foods Association, Americans consume about 5 gallons of ice cream per person each year.
In recognition of July as National Ice Cream Month and last Sunday as National Ice Cream Day, the Omni Hotel offered guests a tropical-themed ice cream bar in the lobby Tuesday afternoon.
The hotel dispensed complimentary cones and cups of Haagen-Dazs ice cream along with a buffet of toppings.
“Every Omni does something each year for National Ice Cream Day. We thought it would be fun this year to have a tropical theme,” said Irene Peterson, the Omni Jacksonville’s director of sales and marketing.
Also on the bar were samples of “white sangria,” which is part of the new pool-deck menu offered this summer at Omni Hotels & Resorts.
The poolside menu features ice cream in the form of sandwiches with the frozen part flanked by chocolate chip cookies. Ice cream flavors are Tahitian vanilla bean, dirty mint chip – made with fresh mint – and brown buttered candied bacon.
On the cocktail side of the summer menu, Omni hotels in the Southeast are serving a blood-orange Collins, a strawberry mojito and a tangerine-and-mint tequila spritzer.
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