SERENDIPITY 3: WHAT DOES THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE MILKSHAKE TASTE LIKE?
The Cost - $100
The Atmosphere – If you have never been to Serendipity 3 before, you are in for a real treat. As a born and bred New Yorker, I made many trips there when I was a kid and it is a place that has created some incredible memories for locals and tourists, young and old, for generations. It may not look like much from the outside, but the restaurant’s two level interior is iconic – from the numerous stained glass lamps hanging from the ceiling to the huge clock, pink wall, to the flying Pegasus. Some describe it as playful, some as kitschy, and some as quirky, but no matter the word you use, it is a fantastic place to enjoy a meal no matter where you come from or how old you are. Reservations are not accepted and wait times can be quite long, so make sure to plan to queue.
Whether it is because of Serendipity the 2001 movie with Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack, its world-famous Frozen Hot Chocolate, the brand’s affiliation with Selena Gomez, the numerous celebrities that have dined there, or just because the restaurant has been a New York staple for almost 70 years, you have probably heard of Serendipity 3. The New York institution has been putting smiles on the faces of children and adults alike for a long time with its food and legendary desserts. What you may not know, is that Serendipity 3 actually holds 9 Guiness World Records, including ones for the World’s Most Expensive French Fries, the World’s Most Expensive Sandwich, the World’s Most Expensive Dessert, and the World’s Most Expensive Milkshake. But does the World’s Most Expensive Milkshake live up to its hefty price tag? I went to Serendipity to find out.
The Order – The LUXE Milkshake.
The Great – The LUXE Milkshake was no joke and the fun began when I saw the glass that it was served in – a retro-style glass adorned with over 3,000 shiny Austrian crystals designed by Kellie DeFries. While I was incredibly sad to learn that I couldn’t keep the glass, I did find out that if you’re able to find one for sale, you’d have to pay over $1,000 to buy it! Makes sense that it wasn’t a souvenir cup.
As special as the glass was, the ingredients in the milkshake were even more impressive. The base of the milkshake was composed of two big scoops of Tahitian vanilla ice cream, Jersey cream made from cows located on the Channel Islands, real Madagascar vanilla beans, and Devonshire double clotted cream imported from England. The ingredients were blended together (not made in a typical milkshake machine) and topped with Jersey whipped cream, a thin sheet of edible 23 karat gold, a Marasca cherry from Luxardo, Italy, a spray of edible glitter, and a drizzle of donkey caramel sauce that is actually made with donkey milk. Once I understood the incredible lengths that Chef Joe Calderone and the Serendipity 3 team went through to obtain these luxury ingredients from around the world, the price tag made sense. Finding any one of these ingredients is next to impossible in the United States but obtaining all of them seems like quite the challenge.
So how did the milkshake taste? It was delicious. Probably the smoothest, creamiest, most decadent milkshake I have ever had. My absolute favorite part about it was the intense vanilla flavor from the seldomly found real Madagascan vanilla beans. It was the first thing I noticed and tasted so much better than any vanilla extract. The smoothness and creaminess of the shake can be attributed to the high butterfat content of the Jersey cream as well as the richness of the Devonshire cream. The donkey milk caramel sauce was really tasty and had great sweetness to it and the cherry was next level – certainly not your average bright red ice cream sundae cherry that is soaked in sugar syrup and food coloring.
The Verdict – To my knowledge, this was the first time that I have ever tried a food that held an official Guiness World Record and it was so much fun. From the presentation in the opulent crystal adorned glass to the wonderful ingredients and excellent taste, I really enjoyed the milkshake and after learning more about the ingredients, I understood why it cost a lot more than the typical New York milkshake. It’s definitely a splurge item but it’s a memorable experience, and these days it costs less than taking a family of four to see a disappointing movie.