Grab a cold one - family style

Ice cream, sundaes, milkshakes and more provide sweet relief from the heat and put a celebratory exclamation point on anything from a major milestone to a simple family outing.

The combinations are myriad and the confections limited only by your imagination and the flavors, toppings and syrups on hand.

Several metro area ice cream spots boast tasty tweaks to their sweet stash.

Sal & Mookie's New York Pizza & Ice Cream Joint, 565 Taylor St. in Jackson, spearheaded an employee contest to come up with new dessert ideas. The dessert menu welcomed the Chocolate Strawberry Delight, a Smore Sundae, an Apple Pie Milkshake and the Peanut Butter Cookie Sundae (a treat practically guaranteeing an E.T. phone-in order). The PB Cookie Sundae has warmed crumbled peanut butter cookies, vanilla ice cream, caramel and chocolate sauces, whipped cream and Reese's Pieces.

Popular menu items there include the Double Stuffed Oreo Supreme ("We just go through brownies so fast here," manager Maggie Briscoe says) and the Abita Draft Root Beer Float.

At Cold Stone Creamery, 1888 Main St. in Madison, "there are days we'll do 100 shakes and smoothies," manager Denise May says. Twenty ice cream flavors, four yogurts and two sorbets keep their cool. Folks can dress them up with sprinkles, chocolate and white chocolate chips, crumbled candy bars, fruits and syrups. Ice cream sandwiches and ice cream cupcakes provide even more frozen treat delivery systems.

Cold Stone ventures back to the 1950s for the summer with root beer floats, ice cream sundaes and banana royales (like a banana split, served in a cup). Summer is typically redemption season - for gift cards as well as a break from the heat.

At Marble Slab Creamery, 178 Promenade Blvd. in Flowood, 22 flavors and 27 potential add-ins invite customer creativity. "You get to personalize your own ice cream," Kevin Brown says. "Make it however your taste buds want it for the day."

In response to requests, yogurt, sherbet and sorbets joined the lineup, including a lemon sherbet that "tastes just like lemonade," Brown says.