The Boise neighborhood is angling to become Portland’s next ice cream alley.
When Tipsy Scoop (3987 N. Mississippi Ave.) opens Friday, it will be a decidedly adult addition to the neighborhood, which already features Kulfi’s ice dairy pops a few blocks away on North Williams Avenue and vegan and gluten-free ice cream at Kate’s just up the street on Mississippi as well.
Tipsy Scoop is an ice cream chain started in New York that calls itself a “barlour,” a portmanteau of “bar” and “parlour.” But here’s a twist: The Oregon franchise, which is the first Tipsy Scoop on the West Coast, will be the first location with an actual full bar, set to open around Mother’s Day.
The chain sells scoops, sundaes, drinks and ice cream cake, all based on alcoholic ice cream made in New York. Ice cream flavors include tequila Mexican “hot” chocolate, spiked mint chip, raspberry limoncello and mango margarita, plus a virgin piña colada for children and anyone who would rather not mix their booze and ice cream.
But the question, of course, is this: Do we really need alcohol-spiked ice cream?
After trying several of Tipsy Scoop’s concoctions earlier this week, the answer is: Shockingly, yes.
Here’s the thing: It turns out booze in ice cream isn’t just about taste; it impacts the texture of the ice cream, too.
In fact, many of the flavors of ice cream we tried didn’t have an overwhelmingly alcoholic flavor. For several of them, I wouldn’t have known they had an ABV at all, if someone just handed me a cone and told me to take a lick.
That’s partially because the ice creams are not extremely boozy. They all have an ABV of 5%.
“Let’s say you ate a whole pint,” said Liz Gessesse, a spokesperson for the Portland location. “It won’t get you drunk. You won’t really feel it.”
“But,” she added, “if you’re mixing it, you’re eating ice cream and you’re having a regular drink, then it’s a recipe for a good time.”
But the mild buzz you might get from the ice cream is second to its irresistible texture. The booze means the ice cream is a little less frozen, a little lighter than regular ice cream (though certainly not in a caloric sense).
Take the Portland exclusive flavor, which uses Wild Roots vodka for a dairy-free Marionberry vodka ice cream. The ice cream is surprisingly pillowy, almost like marshmallow cream.
The vodka is imperceptible in this one, unlike the dark chocolate whiskey salted caramel, which is one of the best flavors and is very whiskey-forward.
Other notable bites: The almond-y cake batter vodka martini, tequila Mexican “hot” chocolate and mango margarita
Tipsy Scoop has all kinds of outrageous sundaes on offer, garnished with rice paper flowers, candy, sprinkles and more, but the ice cream is good enough to eat on its own.
There’s another benefit to getting a cone instead of a sundae – the ice cream is certified as a non-beverage, said Rachel Chitwood, a spokesperson for the company, so it’s “fine to walk and snack.”
That means you can get a cone to go. It should probably last you a few blocks. At least long enough to get you to the next ice cream shop.
Tipsy Scoop will celebrate its opening Friday starting at 4 p.m. with $1 scoops for the first 25 people in line, flights, a raffle and more. You can RSVP to attend the opening here.
– Lizzy Acker covers life and culture and writes the advice column Why Tho? Reach her at 503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com.
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