…My final stop took me to El Rey Court hotel, where the new Pink Pony truck has frequently been serving up sky-high swirls of soft serve. (They also pop up at Tumbleroot and other places; follow their Instagram account for weekly hours and locations.)

Start by choosing your traditional soft-serve flavor: chocolate, vanilla or twist (made with New Mexico’s own Rasband Dairy milk). You can get it in a cup ($4.50 base price), but I recommend the delicious, nostalgic waffle cone for $1 more.

Pink Pony soft serve features a host of creative toppings.

Kristen Cox Roby/For The New Mexican

Then it’s time to add toppings (50 cents to $1.25 each, though rainbow sprinkles are free), and here’s where things get fun. Pink Pony has a host of elevated takes on ice cream bar toppings, not limited to amarena cherries, Maldon sea salt, olive oil, candied local pecans and roasted hazelnuts, blue electric dust and prickly pear chocolate drizzle. If you can’t choose a combination, ask for a recommendation or opt for one of the four sundae cups ($7), which come topped with a preselected set of toppings that complement one another.

My towering swirl cone came topped with peanut butter sauce, honeycomb brittle and pistachio, totaling just under 10 bucks for an indulgent but more-than-memorable summertime treat. The honied nuttiness played off the chocolate and vanilla soft serve perfectly, each bite filled with new textures and flavor pairings.