This recipe shows how you can incorporate distilled beverages in your ice cream. We use whiskey, here, as it’s locally produced and made from Alaska barley. But you can substitute your favorite alcohol here.

Currently there are 10 distilleries in the State of Alaska. We use Amalga Distillery’s whiskey in our ice creams. This Juneau distillery has been in operation since 2017. Besides making delicious whiskey and gin, the folks at Amalga are committed to creating a sustainable supply of Alaskan barley, for brewers and distillers across the state.

I can’t mention alcohol without acknowledging the harmful effect alcohol has had historically in Alaska. First brought by Europeans during the age of colonization, alcohol was used to barter with local Indigenous peoples. The historical and current effects have been devastating. For decades, Alaska has been among the top five States in terms of child abuse, accidental death, assaults, rape, and suicide, all linked to alcohol abuse.

ALCOHOL IN ICE CREAM

I enjoy using alcohol in ice cream for two reasons: 1) whiskey and other alcohols impart a distinct flavor that you can’t introduce by any other means, and 2) alcohol depresses the freezing point of water, making ice creams smoother in texture.

Like sugar and salt, alcohol molecules aren’t attracted to one another as much as water molecules. Since water has more hydrogen atoms bonded to oxygen, it is more attracted to itself than ethanol, which has carbon atoms bonded to oxygen. Thus the freezing point of alcohol is -174.6 degrees Fahrenheit!

Alexander and Angus, two of our cherry suppliers

My go to whiskey for ice cream and Old Fashioneds!

Every summer, I would risk life and limb picking cherries from trees in our neighborhood, locally referred to as "The Flats." Our local microclimate appears to be ideal for growing Montmorency cherry trees. These “sour” or “pie” cherries make delicious jams, jellies, pies, and yes, ice cream. Neighbors would allow me to harvest their cherries in exchange for pints of ice cream. I even offered pruning to neighborsʼ trees in the spring, to facilitate larger harvests in summer. Some summers I had help from local children, who I paid for their picked and pitted fruits.

I love the combination of whiskey with cherries, first inspired by David Lebovitzʼs recipe for no-pectin cherry jam. You can use this technique with any stone fruits. Peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums - all of these cooked down in sugar with a splash of whiskey at the end are divine.

Flats Cherry Ice Cream Recipe

CHERRIES

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c fresh pitted sour cherries

• 1/2 c granulated sugar

• 1 T whiskey

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add cherries and sugar to medium saucepan.

2. Cook, stirring often over medium heat, until cherries are cooked down and almost no liquid remains.

3. Turn off heat, add whiskey, and stir to combine.

4. Cool in refrigerator to 40F.

ICE CREAM BASE

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c cream

• 1 c skim milk

• 3/4 c sugar

• 3 egg yolks

• 1 t vanilla extract

• 1/8 t almond extract

• 1/2 t kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth.

2. Prepare an ice-water bath in a larger bowl for chilling the base before refrigerating.

3. Combine the cream, milk, and salt in a medium saucepan.

4. Heat over medium-high heat until simmering. Remove from heat.

5. To temper the egg/sugar mixture, stream in 1/2 cup of warmed cream mixture, whisking constantly. Repeat with another 1/2 cup of warmed cream mixture.

6. Slowly stream in tempered egg/cream mixture into the cream mixture in the saucepan stirring with a heatproof spatula.

7. Continue to heat over medium, stirring constantly, gently scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir, until thickened. (The mixture should coat the back of a spatula or wooden spoon, holding a clear path when you run your finger through it. The base should be thick like tomato soup but no thicker, roughly 165F.)

8. Pour the base through a fine-mesh strainer into a container for chilling. Carefully set the container into the ice-water bath, and stir the base with a clean spatula or wooden spoon until cool. Add vanilla and almond extract and stir until combined. Remove base from ice-water bath, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

1. Once all ingredients are cooled, add ice cream base to machine and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. (Remember to be careful to avoid over-churning). When ice cream is churned, swirl in cherries while ice cream is still spinning.

2. When ice cream is ready, remove ice cream and place in freezer safe container (chill ahead of time in freezer so ice cream doesn’t melt on contact).

3. Cover, and freeze for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).