GUD FEATURE ARTICLE
Bourbon Milk Punch Ice Cream
If you’ve followed Gourmet Underground Detroit for any length of time, you know that one of our favorite seasonal cocktails is Bourbon Milk Punch. It has qualities similar to eggnog without being thick and cloying, thus easier to consume multiple drinks if one is so inclined, as we usually are. Earlier this year, we suggested to Scott Moloney, owner and operator of Treat Dreams, that he turn this handsome drink into an ice cream flavor.
No amateur when it comes to crafting ice cream out of unorthodox (and occasionally bizarre) ingredients, Moloney was initially inspired to push boundaries after seeing the “challenging” San Francisco ice cream shop, Humphry Slocombe, make a prosciutto ice cream. Among his recent, most peculiar projects is a brown sugar ham ice cream that acquired its flavor from simmering the ice cream base with a ham bone and clove. In the works is a Thanksgiving layered concoction built with one part turkey ice cream, one part sweet potato ice cream, and one part cranberry ice cream.
Ice cream flavored with alcoholic beverages seem mainstream in comparison.
Moloney has done plenty of liquored-up ice cream flavors before this project, as demonstrated by a well-stocked bar in the Treat Dreams kitchen. He has used beer, wine, mead, vodka, absinthe, Chambord, and lots of bourbon. He instructed us on just how much booze we could legally add — to a total of 4% by volume — and we went to work trying to replicate the flavor profile of the drink.
The finished ice cream contains a healthy amount of Buffalo Trace Bourbon as the base flavor, a touch of St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram for a spicy and mildly bitter flavor kick, and a dose of fresh nutmeg for dreamy, floral aromatics. Success! It definitely tastes like the milk punch we make at home – which means it’s damn good.
The release of Treat Dreams’ Bourbon Milk Punch Ice Cream coincides with the opening of Planet Ant Theatre’s upcoming play, The Sunday Punch, a comedy that “explores the bewildering journey through aging, marriage, and family roles, while addressing the dangers of apathy and silence in the face of injustice”. Gourmet Underground wholly supports the arts and we figured this was as good a reason as any to finally bring life to this ice cream flavor.
Since Treat Dreams opened a little over a year ago, the energetic Moloney has carried out dozens of these promotional collaborations with other independent businesses. He’s used everything from nearby Pinwheel Bakery cinnamon rolls to Slows brisket to create local flavors and he obviously enjoys working with his fellow small business entrepreneurs. While some of these flavors might not have the mass appeal of vanilla and chocolate, it’s certain that anyone can find something to his or her liking at Treat Dreams. We wouldn’t be surprised if it were the bourbon milk punch.
Treat Dreams is open 1 p.m.-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 1 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday through Saturday. Bourbon Milk Punch Ice Cream will be available for purchase starting Friday, November 25th to correspond with the opening of The Sunday Punch at Planet Ant Theatre Hamtramck.
2011.11.18 Todd Abrams at 9:57 am
This entry was posted in Features and tagged bourbon, Inside Detroit. Bookmark the permalink.
