Give Homemade Ice Cream The Best Texture With One Boozy Addition

Like puff pastry or ketchup, ice cream is one of those things that (for most of us at least) is better store-bought than homemade. But that's because most people aren't making their homemade ice cream quite as well as they could be. That doesn't necessarily have to be the case, though.

In fact, even if you don't have an ice cream machine, making delicious homemade ice cream can be as easy as breaking out the stand mixer. One tip that is sure to make sure yours is just as creamy as the store-bought stuff is super simple: add alcohol! Alcohol is already a fabulous topping for ice cream, so it makes sense it would be a great addition to the dessert itself. You'll want to take a relatively high percentage alcohol, three or four tablespoons (but five at the absolute maximum), and add it into your mix before you begin churning so that it's properly incorporated.

So how does booze ensure your ice cream stays creamy? It's actually quite straightforward. High-proof alcohol freezes at a much, much lower temperature than water (or cream) — a lower temperature than any home freezer can reach. When you mix it in with your ice cream, you can take advantage of that to prevent any large ice crystals from forming while your ice cream solidifies. This will ensure a beautifully smooth texture right out of the freezer, every time.

There are plenty of options when it comes to picking what booze to use — but stick to complementary flavors and natural pairings. For a classic vanilla ice cream, you want something that doesn't alter the taste all that much. That'll make sure that you don't overpower the delicate flavor of the vanilla. For a slightly bolder flavor, you could go for something fruitier. Pair a citrusy lemon ice cream with limoncello or another fruit liqueur, which you could also use to enhance a beautifully fresh basil ice cream. The limoncello will enhance the sour notes of the citrus, bringing out a much brighter, rounded sweetness.

If you're after something a little darker, make a luxurious chocolate ice cream and infuse it with Irish cream or a coffee liqueur. The coffee will enhance those chocolaty notes making for a deep, rich, complex flavor with a gorgeous mouthfeel. That autumnal aroma of Irish cream could even work in a paradoxically warming pumpkin pie ice cream. Whatever you choose to add, a splash of the good stuff will be sure to upgrade your homemade ice cream in a jiffy.