Tipsy Cow opens downtown

Tipsy Cow Ice Cream has opened its second location in downtown San Marcos serving up one-of-kind alcohol-infused ice cream flavors as well as kid-friendly selections.

Tipsy Cow is a family-owned-and-operated business that was started by husband and wife Mike and Ella Chase. The Chases have lived in the area for over 25 years and are  both graduates of Southwest Texas State University — now Texas State University. 

They met while working at Schlitterbahn in 1999, according to Mike Chase. Ella became a  special education teacher at Navarro Junior High after graduation, and Mike continued his career at Schlitterbahn as director of admissions, something he did for over 20 years before launching Tipsy Cow.

But Mike said the idea of alcohol infused ice cream was something he just stumbled across.

“So it started while I worked at Schlitterbahn. I had worked there for over 20 years and was ready to start my own thing and so as I was looking at different things and figuring out what do I actually want to do, I stumbled upon this,” Chase said.

Mike Chase had never thought about even making his own ice cream before, nonetheless an ice cream business. 

“I never even thought about making my own ice cream, I didn't know you could,” Chase said. “Then I discovered that I could make ice cream, and I could add alcohol to it. I was like, well, there's nothing like that in New Braunfels. I thought ‘that would be such a fun business to do.’ And it has been.”

Ella was not onboard at first, she wanted Mike to research the ins and outs of making and marketing ice cream. So they bought their first ice cream machine and started experimenting in his garage for about a year. They started passing homemade ice cream flavors out to friends, and a demand for pints started to grow, Ella was convinced and the Chases started looking for a location. 

They opened their first official location in May of 2018 by the Freiheit Country Store. After winning some local awards for their creamy creations and garnering a decent base of regulars, they started looking for a second location. They stumbled across the old Stellar Cafe space and saw an opportunity for expanded seating. 

They opened the San Marcos location on Oct. 18 and are still waiting to have their grand opening event. 

Tipsy Cow has an extensive list of flavors, both adult and kid-friendly, that suit everyone’s tastes — from Southern Pecan Pie with pecans, brown sugar and pecan pie whiskey and Baileys Salted Caramel to non-alcoholic Andes mint chip and dairy-free Sangria wine sorbet— as well as a rotating tap of ice cream flavors that come out every month.

Tipsy Cow offers discounts for teachers, first responders and military as well as punch cards and catering for events. More information about catering is available by emailing thescoop@newbraunfelstipsycow.com.

Tipsy Cow’s San Marcos location is at 235 N. LBJ, Ste. A. They are open Sundays from 12-9 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays from 2– 9 p.m., Fridays from 2 -10 p.m. and Saturdays from 12-10 p.m. For more information, call 512-214-8506.