Place the 1/2 cup mini pretzel twists in a zip-lock bag and crush with the bottom of a glass until you have a mix of chunks and crumbs, about 30 seconds.

Scoop the 2 cups vanilla ice cream into a chilled bowl, let it soften for 3 to 4 minutes, then stir in the 2 tbsp whole milk until smooth with no hard pockets.

Drizzle the 3 tbsp hot fudge sauce over the ice cream and fold through with 4 to 5 figure-eight strokes, stopping while chocolate streaks are still visible.

Fold in the crushed pretzels with 3 to 4 turns of the spoon, divide between 2 chilled cups, finish with a pinch of the 1 tbsp coarse sea salt, and press a few whole pretzel twists into the surface before serving.