I want to make boozy ice cream!

Cafe Society
1

I got a Cuisinart ice cream maker and I’ve been asked to make some ice cream with creme de menthe, Kahlua, Grand Marnier, etc.

I’ve seen the gizmodo.com video on making a custard based ice cream using a packet of plain gelatin, which would stabilize the addition of a sizeable amount of liquor, like a cup to a quart. Their recipe is a cooked mixture which calls for a little milk, a lot of heavy cream, and eggs, plus the gelatin, adding liquor near the end of the churning.

What I want to know is, is it best to follow that recipe, or can I use any ice cream recipe, as long as I add a tablespoon of gelatin to it?

2

I can’t answer your question, but I have to mention the Stout ice cream from Gregs Ice Cream in Toronto. It is wonderful, but not boozy.

Would a sorbet make more sense? Not that the liquor would freeze, hence the need for gelatin.

3

Another not-what-you-are-lookig-for:

I like to add some birthday cake and ice-cream to a pint of Guinness. Yum.

4

Toscanini’s in Cambridge, MA has that, but they refuse to serve it in a cone. It doesn’t hold together well.

JP Licks in Boston has Cape Codder (cranberry and vodka), and they only serve it in a dish for the same reason.

5

I made stout ice cream a couple of years ago (after Ben and Jerry’s came out with then stopped making Black and Tan ice cream). It actually set up perfectly in a Cuisinart maker.

You aren’t using high proof liquor, so setting it up might not be so difficult.

6

I think it calls for experimentation; please report your results here.

(Mint cookies-and-cream ice cream using creme de menthe and chocolate cookie pieces sounds pretty tasty if you can pull it off).

7

Based on my experiences working with alcohol and chocolate, I highly recommend following the recipe, and then modifying based on your initial experience.

I follow my ice cream recipes pretty faithfully, but have not tried to make one with alcohol. I wanted to make a malt flavored ice cream once, and thought that all I would have to do is add malt powder to my regular flavor. That did not work. It was malt flavored cream soup. But I also didn’t try adding gelatin. I’m a believer in following the recipe once, then experiment based on what you learned.

8

I just read an article in the paper, this week, about a place that serves ice cream with booze mixed in. I’ll see if I can find it.

9

I’ll be trying the creme de menthe with the recommended recipe (using a spoonful of gelatin). Another thing I read you can do is soak the cookie bits in the liquor and add them toward the end of the mixing…
I made basic chocolate yesterday as a trial run with really good stuff (cocoa) and it came out excellent!