Boozy Ice Cream, Milkshake, and Popsicle Recipes

You guys, it's National Ice Cream Month. Not National Ice Cream Day, but National Ice Cream Month. That mean we can get ice cream every day for the entire month and not feel bad about ourselves (or get fat), right? And I do like ice cream in its many forms (gelato, yogurt, chocolate-dipped cone, and the list goes on), but obviously mint chocolate chip is at the top of the ice cream food chain. Am I right? But I didn't name this site Whiskey Tango Globetrot for nothing. And I'm not above putting a little whiskey in my desserts (the proof is in the truffles). So today, it feels only appropriate to share some of my favorite boozy ice cream, milkshake, and popsicle recipes.

Thin Mint Bourbon Milkshake

  • 8 oz. (1 cup) thin mint ice cream
  • 8 oz. whole milk
  • 2 tbsp. Nutella
  • 3 oz. bourbon

This is basically like all of the most delicious things in the world in one glass: Bourbon, thin mints, thin mint chocolate chip ice cream (if none readily available, substitute with mint chocolate chip ice cream or vanilla ice cream and add a few tablespoons of crème de menthe and a few thin mint cookies), and Nutella. What else does the world demand? I kind of stumbled upon this. I came home one night with a carton of thin mint ice cream and started experimenting with Nutella and bourbon. A few minutes later and I had a delicious chocolate milkshake concoction. Simply add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Divide into glasses and garnish with crumbled thin mint cookies. Enjoy, rinse, and repeat.

Peanut Butter Nutella Bourbon Milkshake

  • 8 oz. (1 cup) vanilla ice cream
  • .5 oz. maple syrup
  • 2 oz. peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
  • 2 tbsp. Nutella
  • 2 oz. bourbon
  • 8 oz. ice cubes

Well there appears to be a trend emerging here with Bourbon and Nutella. Can you blame me though? This Peanut Butter Nutella Bourbon Milkshake closely resembles the following milkshake recipe on Saveur, which comes from Skillet Diner in Seattle. You should have most of these ingredients in your kitchen, and if you don't, then you should always have them going forward. Combine all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a mason jar, because mason jars make everything taste better, right?

Negroni Popsicle

  • 8 oz. water
  • 4 oz. sugar
  • 2 oz. gin
  • 2 oz. sweet vermouth
  • 2 oz. campari
  • 20 oz. fresh pink grapefruit juice
  • Pinch of salt

This recipe comes courtesy of Gaz Regan, one of the foremost experts on Negronis, in his book, The Negroni. It's a recipe featured in one of my favorite ice cream shops, Humphry Slocombe in San Francisco. To make it, bring water and sugar to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Let cool to room temperature and then pour into ice-pop molds and freeze.

Peach Bellini Sorbet

  • 5 peaches to make 8 oz. of peach puree
  • 1.75 oz. rice malt syrup
  • 17 oz. Prosecco

I know, "that's it" is the same response I had. I'm convinced that my newest foodie friend Christina Soong of The Hungry Australian is a ninja of the kitchen. It doesn't get much easier and delicious then this. To make the peach puree, boil water in a saucepan and place peaches in for three to four minutes (until the skin slips off easily), and then remove stones and blend. Mix all of the ingredients and then churn in an ice cream maker according to instructions. And boom, just like that, your favorite Prosecco drink turned into a boozy sorbet.

Whiskey Chocolate Chunk Coffee Milkshake

  • 4 oz. dark chocolate (about 60%)
  • 6 scoops coffee ice cream
  • 2 tbsp. milk
  • 1 oz. Irish whiskey

Now try saying that five times fast! This comes from my friend Aida Mollenkamp over at Salt & Wind, and gives a nod to her 92-year-old Noni, using three of her favorite indulgences (chocolate, whisky, and coffee), of which she partakes of daily, claiming its virtues are the key to longevity. Since it has coffee in it, I can have this for breakfast, right. RIGHT? To make this boozy milkshake, you'll begin by peeling off some shavings of a dark chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler, and then finely chopping the rest. Add ice cream, milk, and whiskey to a blender and blend until smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate and top with shaved dark chocolate.

Boozy Whiskey Ice Cream Float

  • Drizzle of chocolate syrup
  • 3 scoops whiskey ice cream
  • 1 oz. Irish cream
  • 1.5 oz. bourbon
  • 6 oz. stout beer, chilled

Are you getting overloaded on whiskey yet? Whiskey is in the name of my site, so this feels right. This recipe is from Maryanne Cabrera of The Little Epicurean, who is really classin' the joint up with her own homemade chocolate syrup and whiskey ice cream recipe to complement the rest of this delicious and very boozy concoction. You can get the full recipe for her chocolate syrup and whiskey ice cream on her blog, but I'm just including the recipe here for the ice cream float (in case you want to cheat). Drizzle chocolate syrup inside a glass and add three scoops of whiskey ice cream. Follow with Irish cream and bourbon and then finish with the stout beer.

Watermelon Margarita Popsicle

  • 8 oz. simple syrup (equal water/sugar heated)
  • 4 oz. lime juice
  • 1 oz. orange juice
  • 16 oz. cups fresh watermelon juice
  • 1 cup diced pineapple
  • 1 teaspoon ground pink peppercorns (optional)
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • 3 oz. tequila
  • Kosher salt, for garnish
  • Watermelon Pop Rocks, for garnish

This recipe comes from one of my favorite bartenders, Mariena Mercer, of The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, who makes some of the most complex, interesting, and delicious cocktails I've ever had. Mariena's got game, and I can testify to this boozy popsicle recipe concoction. To make these watermelon margarita popsicles, you'll mix all of the ingredients and fill into your freezing mold of choice, which can be as simple as Dixie cups with a popsicle stick in the middle. Mix together salt and pop rocks, and after popsicles have frozen, dip popsicle ends into simple syrup and coat with Pop Rocks salt.

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 What's your favorite summer boozy drink of choice?