The Secret To The Absolute Smoothest No-Churn Ice Cream Is In Your Liquor Cabinet

There's nothing more satisfying than ice cream that's bursting with flavor. There's also nothing that can sully the experience of enjoying your ice cream like a gritty, unpleasant texture. When making ice cream at home, there's a way to ensure that even if you don't have a machine, you can avoid this creamy conundrum, and believe it or not, the answer lies in your bar cabinet –your bottle of vodka.

There may be some cheap tricks to level up your vodka, and maybe you've even tossed a shot into your pie crust for extra flaky results, but perhaps you haven't considered that your vodka can level up your ice cream.

Adding such an adult ingredient to a treat you've probably been enjoying since childhood might seem surprising, but there's important science at play here — and it has nothing to do with inebriation. The issue with making no-churn ice cream is that you don't have the constant agitation of a machine, which helps to interrupt the formation of large ice crystals. That's critical to the mouthfeel of your ice cream, as those large pieces will feel gritty on your tongue. Enter vodka. Alcohol depresses the freezing point of water, which aids in creating a smoother texture without altering the flavor.

Sugar also lowers the freezing point of your ice cream mix and makes for smaller crystals, but it's tough to rely on as a solution to iciness, as adding more will also alter the flavor profile and potentially leave you with a cloyingly sweet finished product. Booze-based vanilla extract is similar in terms of its alcohol content, however it too can overwhelm or interfere with your vision for flavor. Vodka, on the other hand, won't bring much to the mix in terms of taste, and will be primarily a functional addition.

Don't worry, you won't have to clear out the liquor store to put this tip into practice. About 1 or 2 tablespoons of vodka will get the job done for a batch. While you can opt for an alternative spirit like gin, whiskey, or brandy, keep in mind that those selections will be a flavor modifier, so use them strategically (rum for mojito ice cream, or bourbon for eggnog, perhaps). You'll want to add this shot after your ingredients have been combined and you're just about to pop the mixture into the freezer. Stir well and proceed as you would otherwise, and in a matter of hours you'll have a scoopable frozen masterpiece that may rival your favorite ice cream shop creation. There are a lot of ways to make ice cream without a machine, but this simple, boozy trick will ensure that every spoonful is at its smoothest.