Ice cream with a buzz

Its a warm night, the sun has just set and it has just cooled off to something slightly less than 90F. Its the type of night you just want to lay around in the nude with a fan blowing... fortunately its not too warm that you need to get the ice cubes out.

Hey! I said the temperature was hot... now get your mind out of the gutter... (its too crowded down here)

It was that type of night... and I was getting grumbles from my stomach. So I take short walk down to the main street and the question of where to go eat... some place cool and relaxing. I was at the micro brewery last night and I avoid going to the same place two nights in a row. Instead, I head to the Irish pub. Sunday at 9PM is quite nice in this pub... few people - nothing like the bustle of Friday night. Thats a good thing, I much prefer eating and drinking while sitting down. There are about four other people at the bar and a few scattered tables with people there. The music plays from the jukebox and all is well.

I pull up a chair to the bar, greet the bar tender and place my order. Its nice to be recognized at a bar... or any place for that matter. One of the advantages of being recognized and on good terms in a bar is that you get imperial pints instead of regular ones. Its the little things that makes one feel welcome.

So after a steak sandwich and French fries... and two pints of cider (which was wonderfully crisp and cold on a warm night) I found myself thinking about ice cream... It was an ice cream night. Somewhere awhile back, I had read about either Razzmatazz or Chambord used as an ice cream topping, so I thought I'd give it a try. This was the first night where it was warm, I was at a place with ice cream, and I was at a place that had a well stocked bar.

Liquor on ice cream?! You must be crazy. Not really - often people put different syrups on ice cream to add flavor. Think of this as a syrup with a kick. Vanilla ice cream and a berry syrup work very well together. The intense black rasberry flavor with a hint of honey with the cold classic flavor of vanilla... and a buzz to boot. I have also given a pineapple liquour a try over vanilla and found it to be very good - also reccomended is an orange liqour such as triple sec or grand marnier over chocolate ice cream.

Just about any sweet liqueur will work over vanilla ice cream. Fruity liqueurs are a good choice. Kahlua over vanilla ice cream is a classic. Bailey's Irish Cream is a little too sweet IMHO, but to each his own. I'm partial to Wild Turkey bourbon over coffee icecream. I don't recommend Jagermeister unless you have a childhood fondness for cough syrup.

This recipie serves two for a reason.

• 2 oz. B & B
• 3 scoops Breyers Natural Vanilla ice cream
• sprig of mint

Place ice cream in a wide, shallow (preferably white china) bowl. Drizzle liquor over ice cream scoops. Garnish with mint.

Next time you're out with a special someone (or ones) at a restraunt you excpect has decent ice cream, they'll usually do a particularly nice job presentation-wise if you ask for this. ("B&B over your malted vanilla ice cream," if you're at Seattle Catch Bistro.)

Many liqueurs can be used to top ice cream quite nicely, but many of them have strange herbal essences that put some people off when served as dessert. Start with your favorites in small quantities or try some of my suggestions below. A dash or sprinkling is enough to provide a nice flavor combination, sometimes more is also good.

Amaretto is kind of a classic for either chocolate or vanilla ice cream. I occasionally dash some lemoncello onto French vanilla or chocolate or orange sherbet for a nice, but strong flavor. A very small dash of Aquavit over a fruity ice cream like peach or strawberry makes an interesting flavor. Why have Campari on ice when you can have it on ice cream? This is one of the few where I enjoy a fair amount of liqueur pooled over and around the ice cream. The strong flavor of green Chartreuse complements ice cream, and the color is most enjoyable on vanilla or other light bodied flavors. Pernod is pretty overpowering but less so on ice cream. You'd probably want to limit it to flavors you don't mind missing out on.

Liqueurs aren't the only bar supplies that work well with ice cream.

While it isn't going to buzz you, Grenadine tops bland vanilla nicely.

You can surprise your friends with a beer float using good vanilla and your favorite chili beer. The combination displays interesting contrast. Similarly, an inch of Southern Comfort in a rocks glass with a scoop of French vanilla is a fun cocktail -- I suggest swirling the drink between sips.

My current favorite Ice Cream with a Buzz is a drizzle of Vesta Virgin Cranberry Liqueur over Breyers French vanilla. This is most excellent!