From Plain Vanilla to Spirited Shakes

As you might already know, I’m a sucker for a good vanilla milkshake—and yes, I mean vanilla. I typically don’t go in for a lot of fancy singing and dancing when it comes to ice cream and its derivative products. Vanilla has long been my benchmark flavor for determining if a brand—or house-made—ice cream is worth spooning.

That’s not to say I don’t dabble. Flavors and types at the strange and unique side of the spectrum—corn, habanero, coffee, lavender, etc.—have long piqued my interest (and we actually just ran a story along these lines in the magazine … should be online any day now…). But I always go back to vanilla.

Regardless, a still-recent piece in the Chicago Tribune on spirited shakes caught my eye (the article also references Adam Ried’s new book, “Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes”). We serve eggnog ice cream around the holidays, so why not spike a cool summertime shake? Could be just the thing to spice up a sleepy foodservice menu—and possibly an opportunity to manufacture spirit-ready shake bases and flavors.