[Welcome to July AKA National Ice Cream Month! To celebrate, each Friday I will be posting a new delicious ice cream flavor alongside my regularly scheduled posts. Hope you enjoy the series!]

Despite not regularly imbibing in day-to-day life, alcoholic ice creams are typically some of my favorite concoctions. Having experimented with Baileys, Kahlúa, beer, and champagne, this year seemed like a red wine was in order. Although for drinking purposes I don’t stray far from the sweet white delight of a Riesling or Pinot Grigio, I enjoy reds for adding complexity to desserts and entrées alike.

Several years ago I tasted a dark chocolate red wine fudge that was just fantastic. Rich and chocolatey with just the right balance of red wine flavor, it didn’t slam you in the face with the alcohol, but just enhanced the whole chocolate experience. I kept this in mind as my flavor goal and set off to create the chocolate wine dessert of my dreams.

For Christmas my mom gave me Molly Moon’s ice cream recipe book, with the idea that even if I didn’t use exact recipes it would likely spark ideas and give guidance to my own creations. It is a delightful book even just to read, equally filled with traditional flavors as it is more exotic combinations. Their melted chocolate ice cream seemed like the perfect starting point for my newest creation, and it does not disappoint.

High quality dark chocolate bars melted into a pretty standard cream base results in a velvety smooth and rich chocolate experience. It’s worth it to splurge for the fancy chocolate bars instead of the standard Hershey’s. The chocolate will not only have a more decadent flavor, but it will be easier to find a truly dark chocolate with 70-75% cacao. Quality chocolate also has fewer additives and will melt much more smoothly, for a creamier texture in the final product. As an added bonus, you’ll likely be supporting a smaller Fair Trade farm which is always a good idea in my book.

To supplement the chocolate, I chose a Barefoot Merlot. Since I know approximately nothing about red wine, and don’t care for it in its standalone form, it can be challenging to choose a product. If you have a favorite red, go with that. If, like me, you’re not a red wine aficionado, go with one that describes a chocolate note or pairing on the back. After being reduced on the stove and mixed in with a quality chocolate, even a fairly inexpensive red wine will do just fine here.

Velvety smooth and with a light alcoholic bite, this flavor is sure to please any chocolate or wine lover. The wine flavor is not overpowering, and doesn’t slam you in the taste buds, but somewhat slowly grows with each bite. A small serving would be the perfect end to a dinner party, be it anywhere from casual to cocktail.

Chocolate Merlot Ice Cream 

Adapted from Molly Moon
Makes ~6 cups

Ingredients

1 bottle (3-4 cups) dry red wine (I used a Merlot)

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup half and half
3/4 cup sugar

6 oz dark (~70%) chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, gently heat wine at a light simmer until reduced to 1/4 the original amount (3/4 – 1 cup). Let cool on the counter or chill in the fridge at least 10 minutes or until ready to use. (This is a slow process; set aside at least 30 minutes and feel free to do it ahead of time.)
3. Meanwhile in a medium saucepan, heat half and half, whipping cream, and sugar until sugar is dissolved and mixture is just coming to a simmer.
4. Pour over chocolate and whisk vigorously until smooth.
5. Slowly stream in wine reduction (especially if it’s still a bit warm), whisking constantly.
6. Cover bowl and chill in the refrigerator completely, or overnight.
7. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions, then place in a cold freezer-safe bowl to freeze for an additional three hours, or overnight.¹ 
8. Enjoy solo or with a fudgy dark chocolate brownie for an extra decadent dessert.