I love Newport, RI, so it was logical for me to set my Tina Tales mystery series in that city on Aquidnick Island. And I thought it would be fun to share some facts about Newport here on my blog from time to time.

Today I’m going to talk about a famous drink served there, which is mentioned in my latest novel, Cluttered Attic Secrets. It’s not unusual for a drink to become famous, but usually they’re alcoholic drinks. This one is free of alcohol, bigger than any cocktail you’ve probably ever had, and almost a meal in itself.

It’s called an Awful Awful™. A little known (almost secret) fact about the Awful Awful™ is that it originated in a town next to the town where I grew up in in New Jersey. The Newport Creamery bought the trademarked drink’s secret recipe way back in the 1950s, and when I first visited Newport, I was amazed to find I could get one there. The small chain, Bond’s in New Jersey. is long gone, unfortunately—they had the best hamburgers, too.

An Awful Awful™ is a blend of a secret frozen ice milk mix, whole milk, and flavored syrup, and is very, very cold. It’s obviously patterned after milk shakes, cabinets (what milk shakes are called in Rhode Island), and frappes. They can be made from any flavor. If you drink three, you get the fourth one free. It used to be (maybe still is) a rite of passage for young boys to do that in high school. Only five hundred calories each.

So, if you’re ever on Aquidneck Island, stop by the Creamery on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, or go just down the road a way to Middletown, and have an Awful Awful™. You’ll be glad you did.