Sabrina Carpenter performing at Governor’s Ball, where Van Leeuwen set up an ice cream truck to preview the new “Espresso” flavor. | Nina Westervelt/Billboard/Getty Images
Surprisingly, it’s not with a coffee company
It was really only a matter of time until Sabrina Carpenter’s summer banger “Espresso” begat a food and beverage collab. Frankly, we were taking bets. My money was on a “That’s That Me Nespresso” campaign, but it could just have easily been a partnership with a ready-to-drink espresso martini, or hell, Dunkin’. But no, the first out of the gate is Van Leeuwen ice cream, which just announced a new flavor inspired by the song of the summer.
In a press release, Van Leeuwen says it’s partnered with “VL super fan” Carpenter on an espresso ice cream. The flavor features an espresso base, mixed with brownies, chocolate chips, and fudge swirls, and will be available at Van Leeuwen shops beginning June 28, as well as by the pint both in stores and online. “A portion of proceeds will be donated to charity,” says the company, though it stops short of saying which one.
This all makes perfect sense. Van Leeuwen has recently been developing timely, novelty flavors in partnership with bigger brands and entertainment properties that sometimes really hit the mark, and sometimes are the worst thing you’ve ever tried. But espresso is a far more palatable flavor to experiment with than Hidden Valley Ranch. The only surprising thing is that a coffee company didn’t get there first.
But we have the whole summer ahead of us. There’s time yet for a Sabrina Carpenter Espresso frosty at Wendy’s or a new Frappuccino at Starbucks. Plus, as we’ve established, it’s food bop summer. We’re probably in for a Papa John’s/Chappell Roan “Femininominon” ad, and props to whatever company figures out how to use Billie Eilish’s “Lunch” to advertise their afternoon specials. As we speak, Taco Bell is probably trying to figure out how to use Carpenter singing “I know I Mountain Dew it for ya” to sell Baja Blast.
Maybe I’m paranoid, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these lyrical name drops existed precisely to court these sorts of deals. Call it the “content-ization” of art, where every creative endeavor inevitably become fodder to shill. At least the ice cream sounds good.
