Easy Dinner Party Dessert: Ice Cream with Whiskey and Coffee Grounds

Nearly a mind-boggling twenty years ago, my parents came to visit me in Australia, during what I like to refer to as my expatriate period, but what others might refer to as unfocused college years. We went to dinner with my friends to one of Sydney's top-ranked restaurants, Taylors. Decades later, we don’t remember too much from the dinner at Taylors, but my mom will never forget how we deliberated over the extensive and so-tempting desert menu, until my friend Paul--a true gourmand and one of my culinary godparents--told the waiter to just bring all of the desserts. One struck me for its simplicity and perfection. I have made it ever since, especially when time is short, but a dessert is needed to bring the evening to a close. Something sweet to cut the grease as my mom likes to quote my grandpa.

Technically it is a variation of the Italian dessert affogato (“drowned”), but with whiskey instead of espresso; the espresso, in fact, is sprinkled on top as fresh grounds. (At Reed College, we had coffee ground milkshakes, so in a way, it’s a variation of that as well.) It’s as simple as can be but the ingredients have to be the best. Everyone loves it but men in particular appreciate it. I use Makers Mark bourbon, as its sweetness and smokiness compliment the ice cream, but almost any good whiskey could be used.

A French-press grind add a nice crunch as the grounds freeze but you may prefer a cone-filter grind, or even an espresso grind as somepeople find the anything larger than a cone filter grind to be too gritty, almost chewy. The larger grinds also tend to irritate your gums and stick unattractively between the teeth. Do not feel the need to dump on the hooch. A single tablespoon is all that is needed--anymore, and it will be unpleasantly boozey.

Ice Cream with Whiskey and Coffee Grounds
For each serving:
Place two scoops of the very best vanilla ice cream
Drizzle with a tablespoon of Makers Mark Bourbon (1/2 pony shot)
Sprinkle with a teaspoon freshly-ground coffee
Serve.

This also makes a wicked milkshake when you throw it into the blender.

(Note that is based on a whirling blade grinder, which produces an uneven grind, with grains of varying sizes, which is perfect for this dessert.)