Alcoholic ice cream is the hottest trend hitting the frozen treat industry in summer 2024. No matter what ice cream machine you have, adding alcohol to your frozen desserts can elevate the experience for your customers. Here’s why alcoholic ice cream has become such a popular trend:

1. Sophisticated Flavor Profiles: Alcoholic ice cream allows for more sophisticated flavor profiles by combining artisan gelato with cocktail mixology. This fusion brings out the best in both worlds, enabling you to recreate your favorite cocktail in a frozen dessert format. Imagine serving a Mojito Sorbet or a bourbon-infused Rocky Road, made to perfection with a gelato machine designed for professional use.
2. Unique Sensory Experience: Alcoholic gelato offers a unique sensory experience. It combines the frozen deliciousness of ice cream with the warmth of liquor to create an enjoyable mouthful that delights the senses.
3. Expanded Audience Appeal: Adult ice cream is viewed as a luxurious, elevated version of a childhood favorite, broadening its appeal to a more mature audience. Offering alcoholic ice cream can set your cafe or gelateria apart, making it a must-visit destination for those seeking a novel treat.
   
   

When considering adding alcoholic ice cream to your menu, there is one factor to keep in mind: the difficulty of infusing alcohol with ice cream. Alcohol has a lower freezing point than water or milk, which alters the freezing and storage requirements.

Here are some common challenges when serving alcoholic ice cream in cafes, restaurants, or outdoor events:

1. Temperature Control: The ice cream might not be stored at a cold enough temperature, causing the alcoholic ice cream to melt quickly.
2. Over-frozen Regular Ice Cream: When the alcoholic ice cream is stored at a colder temperature, regular ice cream can become over-frozen, hard, and tasteless.
   
   
   

To solve these challenges and ensure the best quality, consider the following solutions:

Solution A: Upgrade to a modern ice cream machine for cafes and restaurants, such as the Top Churn V4 with Churning Display Freezers. This machine allows each pot to be controlled independently, enabling different storage temperatures for each product. You can produce and store chocolate ice cream, mango sorbet, pina colada ice cream, and mojito sorbet—all at their optimal temperatures to perfect the flavor profile.

Solution B: Use a second display case to store alcoholic products separately at a lower temperature from traditional ice cream. This ensures each type of ice cream maintains its desired consistency and flavor.

Additional Tip: Use an ice cream or sorbet base made specifically for alcohol. These bases make it easier to add more alcohol content while capturing a more intense flavor, enhancing the appeal of your creations.

Create delicious alcoholic ice cream using your best commercial ice cream machine with this recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 cups raspberries
• 1 cup Champagne
• 1/4 cup crème de cassis
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  
  

Instructions:

Step 1: In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water, and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
Step 2: In a blender or food processor, purée raspberries with Champagne, crème de cassis, and sugar syrup until smooth.
Step 3: Pour the mixture into your Top Churn gelato machine and let it churn.
Step 4: Top off your bowl of ice cream with an additional splash of crème de cassis and enjoy!

By mastering the art of alcoholic ice cream, you can attract a broader audience to your establishment, be it a cafe, restaurant, or gelateria. Utilizing the best gelato machines for cafes and restaurants ensures that your ice cream is served at the perfect consistency, enhancing customer satisfaction, and setting your business apart as a destination for unique frozen treats. Explore more about our professional ice cream machines and see how you can transform your menu with these innovative products.