Better Boozy Milkshakes Start With The Right Liquor Choice

If you're a fan of milkshakes but want to give them a boozy twist, there are many varieties to try depending on your personal preferences. Mixing ice cream with liquor can sometimes be a tricky process when it comes to balancing the right proportions and flavor combinations. Jennifer Jackson, enterprise beverage director at Thompson Restaurants, the owner of Big Buns, a Virginia-based burger chain that serves boozy milkshakes, spoke with Chowhound about the best ways to craft and upgrade your alcoholic milkshakes at home.

To make a well-rounded boozy shake, first start with your liquor choice. Jackson notes, "To make a good choice, think about the flavors in the spirit and match them to the flavors in the shake." This means you can build around their original tastes for more seamless combinations. When it comes to the liquor to ice cream ratio, she says, "A 12-ounce milkshake and 1.5 ounces of the spirit is always a solid ratio for a delicious boozy shake."

Various liquor and liqueur varieties naturally pair better with classic ice cream flavors like chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. Depending on what your home bar looks like, you could plan your grocery list around the flavors already in your spirits collection. This will save you time, stress, and money as liquor will be the heftiest price tag on your ingredients list. You'll be free to experiment with more ice cream varieties and toppings at the store. Playing with other frozen treats, like gelato, to get the perfect consistency is also a great trick to keep in mind when making boozy milkshakes.

Jennifer Jackson considered some of the most popular ice cream options and the ways they might pair nicely with the naturally occurring flavors in various spirits. If you've got a soft spot for vanilla, she suggested Maker's Mark, specifically because "the oak aging brings out flavors of vanilla in the bourbon, which pairs perfectly with the vanilla shake." This adds to the many reasons why bourbon is an ideal booze addition for milkshakes. 

If you're looking for something with a little more kick, Jackson offers a few more delicious flavor combinations. Captain Morgan's works well with chocolate ice cream as it "will bring out the bittersweetness of the chocolate cacao and sweet spices of the rum." Strawberry lovers will want to try "Tito's Handmade Vodka, and a splash of Grand Marnier." If you're looking for a caffeinated twist on this beverage, go for a milkshake version of an Irish coffee, combining "cold brew and Jameson Irish Whiskey." Additionally, sweet-tooth-havers rejoice! Try a milkshake version of the summer favorite, s'mores, "with Maker's Mark Bourbon, premium vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, toasted marshmallows, and topped with whipped cream." 

If you're after more complex drinks with a variety of flavors, you could try a flavored liquor like whipped cream vodka, coconut rum, or peanut butter whiskey to pair with your ice cream of choice. To add even more excitement to your creation, don't forget to add fresh fruit, chocolate shavings, whipped cream, or all three as garnish. For those who want something a little simpler, there are also many three-ingredient boozy milkshakes to try instead.