Equipment Guide: Ice Cream Makers and Tools for Alcohol Ice Cream
Every Spirited Licks recipe is written for three machines because each one handles alcohol differently. A compressor-based ice cream maker churns continuously, drawing in air and tolerating the most spirit. A frozen-bowl machine like the Cuisinart has less thermal mass and needs a thoroughly chilled base. The Ninja Creami works on an entirely different principle — freeze solid, then spin — which means alcohol must be reduced to prevent a soft, unprocessable block. The machine you own determines which version of the recipe you follow. Here’s what we use and recommend.
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Ice Cream Machines
Ninja CREAMi NC301
The Creami is not a traditional ice cream maker. There’s no churning. You freeze the base solid in a pint container for 24 hours, then the machine spins a blade through the frozen block at high speed. This fundamentally changes how alcohol works in the recipe: the base must freeze completely solid, so the alcohol is capped at 2 tablespoons per pint (1 tablespoon for high-proof spirits). Cream cheese replaces egg yolks as the stabilizer, and no cooking is required. Every Spirited Licks Creami recipe makes one pint (2–3 servings).
Buy on Amazon: Ninja CREAMi NC301
Extra pints: Official Ninja CREAMi Pints (2-pack)
Cuisinart ICE-21 / ICE-70
This is one of the most common home ice cream makers. The bowl must be frozen at least 24 hours before churning — longer is fine. Every Spirited Licks Cuisinart recipe is scaled to 8–10 servings to fit the bowl capacity, with 4 egg yolks in a cooked custard base. A second frozen bowl lets you make back-to-back batches without a 24-hour wait. If you make ice cream regularly, the spare bowl pays for itself immediately.
Buy on Amazon: Cuisinart ICE-21
Upgrade: Cuisinart ICE-70 (2 qt)
Spare ICE-21 freeze bowl: Cuisinart Replacement Freeze Bowl
Spare ICE-70 freeze bowl: Cuisinart Replacement Freeze Bowl
Cuisinart ICE-100
A compressor machine eliminates the frozen bowl entirely. The built-in refrigeration unit chills the bowl while it churns, so you can make batch after batch with no waiting. The ICE-100 makes 1.5 quarts and comes with two dashers — one for ice cream, one for gelato. It’s heavier (32 lbs), louder, and more expensive than the frozen-bowl models, but if you make ice cream weekly, the convenience is significant.
Buy on Amazon: Cuisinart ICE-100
Lello Musso Lussino 4080
The serious option. The Lussino is a commercial-grade compressor machine that produces exceptionally smooth ice cream with very small ice crystals. It’s heavy (38 lbs), expensive, and built to last decades. If you’re making ice cream for anything beyond personal use — or if you simply want the best machine available for home use — this is it.
Buy on Amazon: Lello Musso Lussino 4080
KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment
If you already own a KitchenAid stand mixer, this attachment converts it into a frozen-bowl ice cream maker. It’s the most affordable entry point. The bowl must be pre-frozen (same as the Cuisinart), and it holds 2 quarts. It works well with the Standard Churn recipes. The main limitation is that it ties up your stand mixer for the duration of the churn.
Buy on Amazon: KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment
Essential Tools
Digital Kitchen Scale
Not optional. Every Spirited Licks recipe lists ingredients in grams first because volume measurements are unreliable for ingredients like brown sugar, cream cheese, and honey. A digital scale eliminates the guesswork.
Escali Primo Digital Food Scale
Accurate, affordable, reads in 1g increments. Good for most home use.
Buy on Amazon: Escali Primo Digital Food Scale
My Weigh KD-8000 Baker’s Math Scale
Baker’s percentage mode, reads in 1g and 0.1 oz increments, 8 kg capacity. Better for serious bakers and recipe developers.
Buy on Amazon: My Weigh KD-8000 Baker’s Math Scale
Instant-Read Thermometer
Every cooked custard base in this collection targets 170–175°F (nappe stage). An instant-read thermometer removes the guesswork. The Thermapen ONE reads in one second and is accurate to ±0.5°F. It’s expensive for a thermometer, but it’s the last one you’ll buy.
Buy on Amazon: ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE
Fine-Mesh Strainer
Every custard base gets strained. This catches cooked egg bits, undissolved sugar, and steeped aromatics (zest, matcha clumps). The Rösle is stainless steel, sturdy enough to press zest against, and doesn’t flex under pressure.
Buy on Amazon: Rösle Stainless Steel Round Handle Kitchen Strainer
Matcha Tools
Two recipes in the collection use ceremonial-grade matcha. Matcha must be sifted and whisked into a paste before adding to the base. A traditional bamboo chasen makes the smoothest paste. A dedicated matcha sifter removes clumps that a regular strainer misses.
Buy on Amazon: 100-Prong Japanese Chasen (Matcha Whisk)
Buy on Amazon: Jade Leaf Matcha Sifter