DISH OF THE WEEK in New York: Scotch & Decadence Ice Cream at AUBI & RAMSA

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

I had an idea years ago to start a boozy ice cream business. It never got off the ground for so many reasons, but one big one is that alcohol and creamy ice cream don’t always mix. Since alcohol doesn’t freeze, it is very difficult to incorporate it into a non-icy texture.

And then in 2017, I heard about Tipsy Scoop, which garnered a lot of attention, but was less sophisticated and culinary-driven as I would have liked. In my mind, it was mostly about the concept than anything else.

Recently, I came across another business attempting to combine two of our favorite vices. Aubi & Ramsa is a Florida based company that has since opened two shops in Manhattan. I visited their Meatpacking District location and it felt much more like a bar than an ice cream shop. They were taking this a bit more seriously than Tipsy Scoop.

The menu is set up like a cocktail menu as well, dividing the options based on alcohol. Prices also lean more toward the cocktail set than the dessert one. So this is a very interesting, very grown-up spot.

After some agonizing between mezcal, tequila, and rum, I settled on a Single Malt selection.

I really wanted to try something that was unlikely in ice cream form. Sweet martinis and Irish cream drinks all make sense as a dessert. But scotch, while it pairs with dessert, is rarely in the sweets themselves.

Scott & Decadence, like all their offerings is served in a pre-packaged liquor-inspired cup. I felt a bit cheeky walking down the street and imbibing on this ice cream. But after all, this is the Meatpacking District.

I was amazed at how creamy this was and also how much scotch flavor came through. This worked on both levels.

Smooth, sweet malt revealed itself on each bite of the vanilla ice cream. Chocolate chunks and pecans added some texture and balanced out the potent whiskey.

I also added a bit of their unique dulce de leche (made with Remy Martin) to put the flavor over the top.

This is a very different experience from Tipsy Scoop. It was a bit more up my alley. And surprisingly, we now have two successful boozy ice cream shops for two very different ice cream indulgers.

As I was walking down the street, I slowly realized I actually was getting my buzz on. From creamy, decadent ice cream. Who would have ever thought?? Price: $10/$24

Is Aubi & Ramsa he best ice cream in NY? Not a place for kids, but for serious craft drinkers who also like ice cream, this is a really interesting worthwhile place to check out. Not sure all the flavors work, but the one unusual one I tried went down really smooth.8 out of 10