What with the temperatures reaching disgustingly high numbers, you're no doubt subsisting on a diet of ice-cream or anything that can be plucked from the freezer in your local shop.

While the weather seems destined to last for the next while, no doubt you've sampled any and every ice-cream there is - but which is the best and why are they the best?

For your consideration, the ten greatest ice-creams known to humanity.

  

10. The 99 (With Optional Flake)

Perhaps consigned to the history books, the Ice-Cream Van and its fabled '99s with sprinkles, raspberry topping and sprinkles were the cornerstone of our summers. You can get them in normal shops now, but it's not the same anymore. It has to be near a large body of water and you've got to have Factor 50 on.

 

 

9. The Cornetto

A cultural institution, much like the previous entry, it's been in service for almost twenty years. Strawberry's our weapon of choice. Don't be coming in here with that mint crap. Oh no.

 

8. The Super Mario Ice-Cream

It had strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ice-cream, it was made into the face of your favourite Italian plumber and it was about 30p. This thing defined our childhood.

 

7. The Fat Frog

It might be connected to an alcoholic drink for teenagers on their Leaving Cert. night, but there was a time when Fat Frogs were actually enjoyable. Zingy lime and under 20p, you couldn't go wrong.

 

 

6. The Tangle Twister / The Twister

If you mention Tongue Twister, you're definitely showing your age. Nobody remembers those. No, we all have fond memories of the Tangle Twister. Suck hard enough and you got to the reddish centre. DON'T RUIN IT, IT'S JUST ICE CREAM.

 

 

5. The Mars Ice-Cream Bar

These things are disgustingly addictive. We're convinced the caramel is made up of some unknown narcotic that drives people to eat five of them. Be mindful of the falling chocolate, though. We've ruined many a grand pair of trousers devouring these. The challenge was to get them down the gullet before they melted.

 

 

4. Mr. Freeze Cool Pops

It's been a few years now so we can ask this - what exactly was the flavour of the Blue one? We knew the brownish one was Cola, the red one was Strawberry obviously and the purple one was Blackurrant - but what about the blue one? Answers on a postcard, please. Also, don't come in here with that "are they ice poles?" crap. These are Cool Pops. Mr. Freeze Cool Pops. Anything else is wrong. Get used to it.

 

3. The Haagen-Dasz

Probably the greatest symbol that we'd gotten WAY ahead of ourselves during the Celtic Tiger era was that we had Haagen-Dasz shops. That's right. You could sit down in a shop, IN THIS COUNTRY, and eat Haagen-Dasz ice-cream. Truly the greatest excess of the Celtic Tiger was the fact that people thought this could last.

 

2. The Magnum

Luxurious, that crack they make when you bite into them and the fact that they were absolutely huge - Magnums were amazing. The pinnacle of ice-cream technology. It's essentially a Choc Ice, but it's so much more.

 

 

1. Ben & Jerry

Phish Food. Baked Alaska. Strawberry Cheesecake. Peanut Butter Jam Session. Caramel Hat-trick. Your mouth's watering right now, isn't it?