Skip to main content

Hardscoop Distillery: Where Booze and Ice Cream Come Together

It’s one thing to pour booze over your ice cream, but what if you could eliminate a step and have booze in your ice cream? Thanks to Hardscoop Distillery, a new company based in Charleston, South Carolina, you can.

Founded by Jason Kirby, Chris Ledbetter, and Rachel Solomon, Hardscoop Distillery is the country’s only licensed distillery that makes spirited ice cream.

Recommended Videos

A federally-licensed distillery that makes boozy ice cream. There aren’t many words that could be added to that sentence to make it sound any better than it already does. (“Free Money” and “Porsche” come to mind, but let’s be real, it doesn’t get much better than alco-ice cream.)

Coming in at 8 percent ABV, each pint of Hardscoop is made from a mix of quality ice cream — Kirby says they use 14 percent butter fat — that is made from scratch in-house and grain neutral spirits.

“We make a premium product and our approach has always been that we want the customer to taste the richness of the ice cream above anything else,” Kirby says.

That means dialing the grain neutral spirit back from 190 proof (they don’t currently distill their own spirit) to 80 proof. This softens to alcohol flavors and allows the taste of the ice cream to shine through.

“We both enjoy the liquor taste in a cocktail or even poured ice cream, but we wanted mass appeal for a variety of palates,” Kirby adds.

The development process for these products took over a year and upwards of 350 test batches. (Boy, would we have loved to be the R&D team for those tests).

“We’d identify which piece we wanted to work on — proof or a specific flavor, for example — then approach those on an individual basis in a scientific manner. We worked one at a time in order to dial in each part right,” Kirby says.

In terms of being a licensed distillery, the choice, according to Kirby came down to the future.

“A scoop shop or a bar scenario are very restricted about where they can go, who they sell to, and when. It took a lot longer to get there, but we think, in time, it’ll be better for us and will allow us to expand,” Kirby says. It also gives them the ability to eventually make their own spirits to use in the ice cream.

For now, HardScoop has three core flavors — classics that are sure to appeal to just about everyone: vanilla, chocolate, and coffee. For the fall, they released a pumpkin pie flavor that will be available through Thanksgiving. Kirby says they also plan to experiment with other alcohols, but, for now, they are happy using the grain neutral spirit, as it really lets the other flavors of the product shine through.

There is one drawback to Hardscoop, sadly: it is currently only available in South Carolina. Next time you’re looking at taking a trip, you’re going to want to think about Greenville or Charleston as destinations so that you can try the sweet, beautiful, boozy dessert that is Hardscoop Ice Cream.

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
The new brew routine: Why gut health is the future of coffee
Is your coffee good for your gut?
coffee bean

According to a recent survey by Danone America, 84% of Americans have become more interested in "functional" foods and products that support gut health. These changing wellness trends are affecting nearly every type of food and beverage product, and they've now made their way into your morning coffee mug as well. Popular coffee brand Bulletproof Coffee believes gut health is the future of coffee, adapting its product line to include science-based ingredients that transform a delicious cup of coffee into a gut-supporting beverage. I chatted with Stephanie Hoffman, Director of R&D and Quality at Bulletproof Coffee, to learn more about gut health and coffee.
Gut health in the wellness world

According to Hoffman, "Gut health has become a major focus not just in the wellness world, but in general, as people are recognizing its deep connection to energy, immunity, mood, and mental clarity." With this in mind, Bulletproof has adopted a mindset that your morning coffee should do more than wake you up.

Read more
Surprising ways to use ground coffee beyond your morning brew
Everything you can use ground coffee for, beyond your morning cup of joe
Coffee grounds in a plant

Perfectly described by Chris Smith, co-owner and founder of Ground Ops Roastery + Bakehouse, "The day doesn't truly begin until that first sip of coffee." Yet, according to Smith, the story of coffee extends far beyond its role as just a drink. Coffee has so many uses both inside and outside of the kitchen -- that most of us coffee drinkers fail even to acknowledge. From cooking with coffee grounds, such as in tenderizing meat, to using them as fertilizer for plants, consider these surprising uses for ground coffee.

Ground coffee uses in cooking and baking

Read more
The new Ninja Creami Swirl is a game-changer for high-protein summer treats
CreamiFit is a game-changer for high-protein, low-sugar snacks
Ninja creami swirl

Counting and tracking your macros is hard; and that's one thing every fitness and health junkie can agree on. During the summer, sticking to your nutrition plan can be even more challenging. After all, stopping for ice cream is a summertime event that evokes a bit of nostalgia for all of us.

Luckily, Ninja has dropped its newest version of the Ninja Creami, just in time for the summer: The Ninja Creami Swirl. The Ninja Creami Swirl is a total game-changer for health-conscious foodies, featuring special settings designed to create healthier-style ice cream and frozen treats. The Ninja Creami Swirl's specific CreamiFit setting is the perfect tool to whip up your high-protein, low-calorie snack or protein treat. Here's how it's changing the game this summer.
Trying the Ninja Creami Swirl

Read more