Technique Guide: Boozy Nicecream

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(Note: this post was originally published on August 9, 2020. It has been updated several times with additional recipes and photos).

Boozy Nicecream What???

The most important technical guide ever to appear on The Rogue Brussel Sprout is here. It's the GUIDE TO BOOZY NICECREAM and it's exactly what your summer needs. In this guide, I'll cover some basics first, with a focus on ingredients and techniques. Then I'll share a bunch (!!!) of fun variations that you can easily make at home. Feel free to see these as jumping-off points for your own ideas.

Why Nicecream?

Before we dive in, I want to address two important questions. First, why nicecream? As many of you have probably seen and tried, "nicecream" is a pureed, frozen banana dessert that has taken the foodie world by storm. It's vegan, naturally sweetened (depending on what else you add, of course!), and free of weird additives and stabilizers unlike many other frozen desserts. Plus it's infinitely customizable and super easy to make at home in whatever size batch you want. It's a major win with regards to nutrition, ease, and cost.

Espresso Kahlua Chip Nicecream
Espresso Kahlua Chip Nicecream

Why Boozy?

Second, why boozy? Obviously I love cocktail recipes and distilled products! But adding alcohol to nicecream actually serves a very important purpose chemically. If you've made and re-frozen nicecream before, you've undoubtedly noticed that it turns into a giant hard brick. Not fun, especially if you want to prep a big batch in advance! Adding some distilled alcohol actually lowers the freezing temperature of the nicecream, helping your creation to stay rich and creamy even after sitting in your freezer overnight.

Plus, at the risk of stating the obvious, distilled alcohol is an incredible vehicle for flavor! In addition to adding all sorts of deliciousness, it also hides the banana taste (not that there's anything wrong with banana, but it just doesn't make sense with all the flavors you might want to dream up).

Bourbon Cherry Chocolate Chip Nicecream
Bourbon Cherry Chocolate Chip Nicecream

Here's How to Do It

Before we launch into specifics, let's talk about nicecream technique in general. It's really very simple, as long as you freeze the bananas ahead of time. Take the following steps and apply them to all of the fun recipes below!

  1. Let your bananas ripen! Ripe bananas are sweeter, have better flavor, and yield a creamier texture.
  2. Slice up your bananas so that they'll fit into the food processor easily. I like to work with four at once since it's a manageable size. If you have a really big food processor, you might fit six or eight. In a mini food processor, even just one is fine. You can scale all of the amounts below to fit your batch size.
  3. Freeze your bananas in a sealed container. You'll need to do this at least the day before, but they'll last fine in the freezer for weeks. This is a great way to use up any bananas that are ripening before you can eat them.
  4. Add your bananas, any other fruit, any other flavorings, and your booze to a food processor.
  5. Process until you have a rich, creamy texture similar to soft-serve ice cream.
  6. As needed, add a dash of liquid to help thin out the texture. Any milk or plant-based milk works fine, and/or an additional splash of booze (I won't tell).
  7. After you achieve your desired consistency, add your mix-ins (e.g. chocolate chips, nuts, additional fruit, etc- whatever you want there to be chunks of). Pulse the food processor a couple times to bring it all together, or stir them in by hand.
  8. Eat your nicecream right away for a soft-serve texture, or freeze it in a sealed container for a more traditional ice cream texture.

Without further ado, here are some of my boozy nicecream favorites!

Mint Chocolate Chip Nicecream
Mint Chocolate Chip Nicecream

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Blue Hawaiian Nicecream

Inspired by the flavors (and color!!) of the classic cocktail, this nicecream is perfect for a summer day. This one is a favorite in our house because it has such tropical ocean vibes. Plus it's naturally colored with blue spirulina!

  • 4 ripe, sliced, then frozen bananas
  • 2 c frozen pineapple
  • 2 oz coconut rum
  • 2 tbsp coconut cream
  • Dash of full-fat coconut milk
  • 0.25 - 0.5 tsp blue spirulina
  • Additional dash of coconut milk to thin it out if needed
  • Shredded coconut for garnish

Blue Hawaiian Nicecream
Blue Hawaiian Nicecream

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Blueberry Mojito Nicecream

So light, fresh, and tropical! This flavor is perfect for summer since it unifies the classic mojito cocktail with everyone's favorite summer fruit: blueberries! This is an especially great choice if your yard gets overtaken by mint during the growing season.

  • 4 ripe, sliced, then frozen bananas
  • Juice of a lime
  • Really big handful of fresh mint
  • 2 oz amber-colored spiced rum (or white rum)
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • Dash of liquid as needed to thin it out
  • 0.5 c frozen blueberries added at the end
  • Fresh blueberries and additional fresh mint for garnish

Blueberry Mojito Nicecream
Blueberry Mojito Nicecream

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Boozy Baklava Nicecream

I developed this one in collaboration with Koloa Rum, and gosh is it fun. Inspired by the flavors in baklava, this nicecream has sweet honey and crunchy pistachios. Serve it with baklava for extra flair!

  • 4 ripe, sliced, then frozen bananas
  • 2 oz spiced rum (Koloa of course!)
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla
  • Dash of liquid as needed to thin it out
  • 0.5 c shelled pistachios added at the end
  • Additional pistachios and a drizzle of honey for garnish

Boozy Baklava Nicecream
Boozy Baklava Nicecream

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Bourbon Cherry Chocolate Chip Nicecream

The name says it all. This is like Cherry Garcia on a trip through bourbon country. The flavors are absolutely wonderful and go especially beautifully with caramel sauce. Of all the recipes here, this is the one I make most frequently.

  • 4 ripe, sliced, then frozen bananas
  • 0.5-1 c cherries, either fresh (pitted!) or frozen
  • 2 oz bourbon
  • Dash of liquid as needed to thin it out
  • 0.5 c chocolate chips or chunks added at the end
  • Few additional chopped cherries added at the end

Bourbon Cherry Chocolate Chip Nicecream
Bourbon Cherry Chocolate Chip Nicecream

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Espresso Kahlua Chip Nicecream

This is a pick-me-up for sure, with double the coffee thanks to both espresso powder and Kahlua. It's luscious and creamy, and the banana flavor is completely undetectable. If you have nicecream skeptics in your life, this is a great one to start with.

  • 4 ripe, sliced, then frozen bananas
  • 2 tbsp espresso powder or instant coffee power
  • 2 oz Kahlua
  • Dash of liquid as needed to thin it out (possibly more Kahlua...)
  • 0.5 c chocolate chips or chunks added at the end

Espresso Kahlua Chip Nicecream
Espresso Kahlua Chip Nicecream

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Fig, Bourbon, and Cinnamon Nicecream

I actually first developed this nicecream to use in my Fig, Bourbon, and Cinnamon Nicecream Cake but it quickly became a house favorite that I've made many times since. This is a wonderful, surprising combination and is perfect for transitioning nicecream into fall.

  • 4 ripe, sliced, then frozen bananas
  • 1 c fig jam
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 oz bourbon
  • Dash of liquid as needed to thin it out

Fig, Bourbon, and Cinnamon Nicecream
Fig, Bourbon, and Cinnamon Nicecream

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Kentucky Mule Nicecream

Based on the classic cocktail, this one is simultaneously fresh and cozy, making it a great year-round nicecream. In case you need a refresher, a Moscow Mule is made with vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer. Numerous riffs exist, including the Kentucky Mule (made with bourbon) and the Mexico Mule (made with tequila). Any will work here, but I like the Kentucky best because bourbon has so much flavor.

  • 4 ripe, sliced, then frozen bananas
  • 12 cubes of crystallized ginger
  • Juice of a lime
  • 2 oz bourbon
  • Dash of liquid as needed to thin it out

Kentucky Mule Nicecream
Kentucky Mule Nicecream

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Mint Chocolate Chip Nicecream

This one is so summery and refreshing! It has the most lovely bright green color thanks to a secret ingredient. It's wonderful with brownies or crushed chocolate cookies for a "grasshopper" vibe.

  • 4 ripe, sliced, then frozen bananas
  • Big handful of spinach (for color; a pinch of spirulina will also work)
  • Handful of fresh mint if you have it, but this works fine without it too
  • 2 oz peppermint schnapps
  • Dash of liquid as needed to thin it out
  • 0.5 c chocolate chips or chunks added at the end
  • Additional chocolate chunks and fresh mint for garnish

Mint Chocolate Chip Nicecream
Mint Chocolate Chip Nicecream

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Strawberry Daiquiri Nicecream

The classic cocktail gets a nicecream update with this fresh, summery flavor. This is such a fun one, and you can easily substitute in other fruits. Mango works especially well.

  • 4 ripe, sliced, then frozen bananas
  • 1 c frozen strawberries
  • Juice of a lime
  • 2 oz white rum
  • Dash of liquid as needed to thin it out
  • Few extra chopped strawberries added at the end

Strawberry Daiquiri Nicecream
Strawberry Daiquiri Nicecream

Closing Thoughts

And there you have it- everything you've ever needed to know about boozy nicecream. I hope you'll make yourself a couple of these! And remember that these are all just ideas- the sky is the limit, so don't be afraid to experiment with different flavors. One of the great things about nicecream is that you can taste as you go and adjust as needed.

And don't forget to bookmark this page and check back! I'll keep adding to it as I create new recipes, so there will always be new content coming. I have a few other classic cockails that I can't wait to re-create as nicecream.

Share It!

It makes me so happy to hear from you and see your creations! Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think about this recipe. If you post a photo on Instagram, hashtag #TheRogueBrusselSprout and tag me (@TheRogueBrusselSprout) in the post text so that I'm sure to see it.

Technique Guide: Boozy Nicecream

It's all of my summer dreams come true! Nicecream gets a boozy update for incredible flavor AND improved texture. This guide will give you everything you need for infinite flavor variations.

Author:
Lee

Ingredients

Instructions

There is no single recipe for this post. Instead, please refer to all the variations above!

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Ben
August 31, 2020
This is my favorite thing ever! Tried the cherry-chocolate-bourbon, and it was amazing! Bourbon comes through just enough that you definitely taste it, but it's not overly boozy or harsh, and it compliments both the cherry and chocolate flavors so well. Looking forward to trying more varieties!