There are a few things people are happier than dunking several shots of whiskey into the best ice cream in Miami. One of the few things that make tastier ice cream is a tablespoon of flavor that brings incredible depth to a scoop. Whether it is an old-fashioned frozen and creamy foam, you will have it.
The low freezing point alcohol makes it softer and more scoopable ice cream. The sorbet recipe is easier and more melty in the mouth. But, when speaking of ice cream mythology and misconceptions, there’s no ingredient more misunderstood.
There is a uniqueness between a soft ice cream and the harsh-tasting slush.
The powers of boozy ice cream
For pure alcohol, the number is -173°F. The 80 vodka freezes around -16°F, balmy but colder than the water. The point behind these temperatures is that more alcohol added to the ice cream freezes more.
In fully stirred ice cream, not all liquids are frozen solid. It is dissolved in sugar and then emulsified with fat. Protein creates a soup of super-concentrated syrup surrounded with bubbles and tiny ice crystals. Adding alcohol to the ice cream can increase the proportion of liquid syrup to solid once and fat, making a softer scoop.
When dealing with a low-butterfat ice cream base that calls for a huge amount of water, alcohol makes the ice cream easier and softer to scoop. It adds a blast of flavor once diluted in the base. Vanilla extract is flavored with vodka. If you are making cocktail-inspired ice cream, adding any one of the alcohol makes flavourful stuff.
Others say that adding alcohol to ice creams ruins the flavor. But, did you know that adding too much is not good? It can become smelly and melty, and this is not to be expected in an ice cream. An ounce of alcohol added to the ice cream gives flavor in ice cream, and this is the traditional way.
The low amounts of alcohol will be enough to add some flavor and slightly enhance the texture. Obviously the higher you go the more it will change the texture. So, the ice cream maker adds a small amount of liquor to stay freezing, and not easily melt. Ice cream added with alcohol tastes viciously boozy.
There are dangers with more moderate amounts. Lowering the ice cream’s freezing point means lowering its melting point. The boozy ice cream melts faster in the mouth and in the freezer than the not boozy one.