Combining the classic summertime frozen treat with a classic cocktail makes perfect sense. That’s why Melissa Tavss recently opened her Tipsy Scoop ice cream shop in Manhattan’s Kips Bay neighborhood. 

 

Tipsy Scoops, the city’s first-ever and self-proclaimed barlour, “blends the magic of an artisanal, hand-crafted ice cream with the mastery of a perfectly mixed cocktail.” Ice cream runs in the family; Tavss’s Italian-born great-great-great grandfather once sold it from a push cart in the streets of Scotland shortly after his arrival to the country. Taking a more innovative approach, Tavss started working on recipes based off simple cocktails—think sangria, daiquiris and the like—all without losing the alcohol content. Classic flavors include strawberry/rhubarb-Bourbon, spiked hazelnut coffee and dark chocolate/Whiskey salted caramel. A rotating list of seasonal flavors are also available—look for the grapefruit Negroni sherbet in stores now, while the Aperol Spritz creamsicle is on deck in the coming weeks. Ice cream can be served up via scoops, waffle bowls or sandwiched between two soft cookies—just remember to bring a valid ID for purchase.  

Tavss isn’t the only one with a boozy sweet tooth—Portland, Oregon-based Salt & Straw is going above and beyond with their flavors this summer via their June Rescued Food Series. Throughout the month, seasonal flavors will highlight reused or rescued ingredients. (Think bruised fruit or leftover whey from various cheesemakers.) Spirits are also used in certain flavors; Salt & Straw has partnered with local Eastside Distillery for their Bourbon Distilled Cherries Ambrosia, available in the Portland shops and shipping nationwide. Here, the brand re-uses the Oregon cherries that have been soaked in Eastside’s small-batch Cherry Bomb Whiskey and renders it into the ice cream. Waste not, want not. 

And just in time for World Gin Day—that’s tomorrow!—Brooklyn-based Oddfellows, known for their off-the-beat ice cream flavors, is launching a flight of gin-based treats. The flight consists of the following: Gin & Juice, featuring a popsicle made of fresh tangerine juice and Four Pillars; Gin & Grapefruit, a fold-in Portobello Road gin sorbet with rosemary ice cream; and Gin & Berries, featuring local Dorothy Parker gin, huckleberries and juniper, of course. Get it while it’s cold!