WINTER · JANUARY 8, 2026 · WEEK 1
Toasted hazelnut folded into an espresso-rich custard, with Frangelico adding monastery warmth and a quiet herbal backbone.
This Frangelico hazelnut espresso ice cream turns an after-dinner drink into a frozen custard, with toasted hazelnuts folded in at the end and espresso powder dissolved directly into the hot dairy to pull the coffee notes into the fat phase. Frangelico provides the spirit at 20% ABV — low enough to preserve freeze structure while still reading as alcoholic in the finish. Egg-yolk custard carries the fat load that keeps the alcohol from seizing into ice crystals on the second freeze. Three machine methods, gram-precise, are built for people who take their after-dinner drinks seriously.
For the science behind how Frangelico interacts with a frozen custard base, see our complete guide to alcohol in ice cream. For liqueur freezing points, see the alcohol freezing point chart.
Why Frangelico Works in Ice Cream
Frangelico’s 20% ABV is low enough to cross-cut with a custard base without wrecking freeze structure, and its own hazelnut character doubles down on the toasted nuts instead of fighting them. Espresso powder dissolved directly into the hot dairy pulls the bitter coffee notes into the fat phase, so the finished ice cream tastes like coffee, not coffee-flavored sugar. Egg-yolk custard carries the fat load that keeps Frangelico from seizing into ice crystals on the second freeze.
What You’ll Taste
Espresso hits first — deep, slightly bitter, unmistakably coffee. The hazelnut lands next: toasted shell, a whisper of chocolate, the warmth of the Frangelico pulling it all together. Macadamia-smooth body, not grainy. Finish is long and nutty with just enough alcohol heat to keep it from reading as dessert-only.
