Bourbon Fanatics Should Avoid One Boozy Ice Cream Brand At All Costs

In this cold weather, you know what's about awesome right now? A few scoops of ice cream mixed with a splash of warming alcohol. Plenty of famous ice cream brands now offer these grown-up frozen treats, but to actually find the best ones around, we've had to get down and dirty by combing through countless online reviews (our tester was also able to have a firsthand taste of one brand). While we found many delicious contenders, one well-known brand surprisingly fell to the bottom of our list: Häagen-Dazs. Though the iconic ice cream maker offers an appealing "Spirits" collection with fancy-sounding flavors like Rum Tres Leches and Bourbon Pecan Praline, to say customers weren't impressed would be an understatement.

The main issue people had with Häagen-Dazs's offerings was a disappointing lack of alcoholic punch. Take the Bourbon Praline Pecan as an example. Despite the name, whatever "bourbon" is in the ice cream is overpowered by the other components. Plus, the chunky pecans gave the ice cream an odd texture, making for an all-around terrible tasting experience.

It's a big problem across the entire Spirits line — you might be wondering if there's any alcohol in Häagen-Dazs' ice cream at all. The only exception is the Bourbon Vanilla Bean Truffle, which actually got some okay reviews. If you still want to give Häagen-Dazs a chance, that'll be the flavor to choose ... but maybe it's better to save yourself the hassle and start with our top-ranking picks instead.

For a truly satisfying boozy ice cream experience, look first into Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. They've a line of alcoholic flavors that did a wonderful job of recreating classic cocktails in frozen forms, like Boozy Eggnog and Hot Toddy Sorbet. Though they're limited to 0.5% ABV, most of the reviews describe them as being spot-on matches to their namesake cocktail. If you like bourbon, definitely give their Middle West Whiskey & Pecans flavor a whirl.

Clementine's Creamery is a great fallback if you're looking for an ice cream with a stronger kick. Their alcohol-laced "Naughty" ice cream line, such as the André's Chocolate Bourbon Road, can go up to 4% ABV. The smoky flavor of bourbon is crystal-clear beneath the vanilla ice cream base that it's mixed with. Reviews also gave Clementine's scoops very high marks for its velvety texture, as well.

And in case you're searching for the ultimate ice cream to "raise the spirits," so to speak, Hardscoop is in a league of its own. They have flavors going anywhere from 8% ABV (like Madagascar Vanilla) to as high as 10.5% ABV in their Carolina Peach Sorbet. And, amazingly, despite the high alcohol content, Hardscoop somehow still managed to achieve a luscious, custard-like consistency in their ice creams. While the harsh alcoholic punch might be too strong for some people, anyone disappointed by Häagen-Dazs's barely-there alcohol taste will find exactly what they're looking for here.