Graeter’s Ice Cream Has a New Backstretch Bourbon Cherry Flavor
Katherine Pendrill — April 14, 2026 — Lifestyle
References: prnewswire & qsrmagazine
America’s oldest family-owned and operated ice cream maker, Graeter’s Ice Cream, has officially teamed up with Churchill Downs to create a limited-edition Backstretch Bourbon Cherry flavor for the Kentucky Derby
A natural collaboration, the Backstretch Bourbon Cherry flavor was created when the Churchill Downs team visited the Graeter's Ice Cream factory and tasted the new cherry-tinged flavor straight from Graeter’s signature French Pots. As Richard Graeter, fourth-generation president and CEO of Graeter's Ice Cream, explains, "The flavor and name were developed by Graeter's with their input, and Churchill Downs approved it on the very first bite. From that moment, we knew we had a winning flavor."
The ice cream itself is described as a Kentucky bourbon-kissed ice cream studded with black cherries and crunchy pralines, which captures the thrill, tradition, and pageantry of the Kentucky Derby.
Image Credit: Graeter’s Ice Cream
A natural collaboration, the Backstretch Bourbon Cherry flavor was created when the Churchill Downs team visited the Graeter's Ice Cream factory and tasted the new cherry-tinged flavor straight from Graeter’s signature French Pots. As Richard Graeter, fourth-generation president and CEO of Graeter's Ice Cream, explains, "The flavor and name were developed by Graeter's with their input, and Churchill Downs approved it on the very first bite. From that moment, we knew we had a winning flavor."
The ice cream itself is described as a Kentucky bourbon-kissed ice cream studded with black cherries and crunchy pralines, which captures the thrill, tradition, and pageantry of the Kentucky Derby.
Image Credit: Graeter’s Ice Cream
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