Lately I can’t stop thinking about ice cream. Over the past week I picked up three different ice cream cookbooks, and one that especially grabbed my attention was Big Gay Ice Cream. The book’s playful high-school yearbook theme—dividing chapters into the four years—makes it fun and approachable. Each “year” focuses on a different part of creating an ice cream experience, from simple grocery-store topping ideas to more technical recipes like sorbets and custards.
I appreciated the book’s mix of recipes, comics and short sidebars that explain the science behind what makes ice cream behave the way it does. Those “Science Club” notes are practical and helpful. If I had one critique it would be that I wanted a few more recipes and a little less extra filler—but overall the tone and approach won me over.
What gives Big Gay Ice Cream its cult status isn’t just unusual flavors, but the combinations of ice cream bases and creative additions that transform a scoop into an experience. After reading the book several times I became obsessed with a flavor inspired by their Tangerine and Mezcal recipe. I adapted it using orange juice and tequila since that’s what I had on hand, and the result was a boozy orange creamsicle with a silky texture and a slow, satisfying melt.
The texture was perfect straight from the freezer—scoopable but still dense enough to enjoy on a hot night. I wanted to dress it up a bit and sprinkled a tiny amount of edible gold dust over the top; it added a fun shimmer and made serving feel festive. Even though you can taste the alcohol, the tequila balances with the orange for a grown-up creamsicle that’s bright and refreshing.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, there are several reliable methods for making frozen desserts without one, including no-churn techniques and freezer-bag methods. You can also explore creamsicle-style popsicles if you want a simpler, quicker option with the same orange-and-cream flavor profile.
Boozy Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Recipe
Recipe Card
Boozy Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream (Orange & Tequila)
Author: Amanda Powell
Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 30 mins
Yield: 1 quart
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- Seeds from one vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons orange or tangerine zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 large egg yolks
- ⅔ cup fresh orange or tangerine juice
- ⅓ cup tequila or mezcal
Instructions
- In a large saucepan combine the heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla bean seeds, sugar, and orange zest. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then heat over medium-high until the mixture is steaming and just beginning to simmer at the edges.
- Whisk the salt into the egg yolks. To temper the yolks, slowly add about one-third of the hot cream mixture to the yolks while whisking constantly so the eggs don’t scramble.
- Return the tempered egg mixture to the saucepan with the remaining cream. Stir constantly over medium heat until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon, about 4–6 minutes.
- Pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Stir in the fresh orange juice and the tequila or mezcal. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator until it reaches about 40°F (or is thoroughly cold).
- Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the churned ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm and scoopable, at least 3–4 hours.
Notes: If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can use a no-churn method or a freezer-bag technique to create a similar result, though texture may vary. For a non-alcoholic version, omit the tequila and replace it with an additional 2 tablespoons of orange juice and a touch of corn syrup or glucose to help texture.
Although I was not compensated for this review, I did receive this book for free from Blogging for Books to review. All thoughts and opinions are always 100% my own.
