It’s another sweltering evening in NYC with both high heat and humidity so we thought what better way to cool off than have a homemade Italian ice from the Lemon Ice King of Corona

This #Corona, Queens institution was opened by Peter Benfaremo in 1944. When the shop first opened the ice was hand-cranked in tubs and sold only during the summer. Times have changed and now their Italian 🇮🇹ice is made electronically year-round but the same 3 basic ingredients remain constant: sugar, water, and all natural flavoring (including real lemons 🍋 for the most popular flavor, as well as real oranges 🍊 for the orange flavor and real peanuts 🥜 for the second-most flavor, peanut butter). If you find yourself traveling to the #USOpen to see some tennis 🎾 this week, stop by this old-school gem as it is located nearby and cool off but remember that they “Do NOT Mix flavors”. Photo from 2004 and interview with Peter appear in our book “New York Nights.”