In the Dominican heart of Upper Manhattan, I've never heard one of these ordered by name.
I've referred to it, in writing, as a raspado — another handle for the snow plane that scrapes ice from a large block and scoops it into a cup — and read, here and there, the term frío frío (cold cold). But unlike Puerto Rican ice carts, which sometimes wear the name piragua, Dominican carts themselves are often unlettered. A dozen or more bottles, filled with flavored syrups, send their own direct message.
Atypically, at this cart the bottles themselves were labeled, though even at a distance I recognized jagua (Hah-guah) from earlier encounters. It's not nearly as sweet as its more popular neighbor, cocofresa (coconut-strawberry); the flavor of this tropical fruit has been likened to dried apple or quince. Pointing, and asking simply for un pequeño (a small one, $1), made the buy.
Dominican ice cart
This afternoon, on Academy St. near the southeast corner with Broadway, Inwood, Manhattan
