Mixers

Vanilla Ice Cream

Vanilla ice cream is frozen, sweetened cream or milk churned with air and flavoured with vanilla; many recipes add egg yolk. In our Stout Float one firm scoop is lowered into 250ml of dry Irish stout once the head has settled, and as it melts it chills, sweetens and creams the drink. It contains milk, and often egg.

Quick Facts

Legal categoryFood

Flavour Strengthlight medium

Our keeping timeFrozen and sealed: to the date on the tub. Refreeze nothing that has melted.

Storage

In the coldest part of the freezer, lid on. Refreeze nothing that has melted.

Allergens

Contains: milk. Many also contain egg: check the tub.

The ingredient

About Vanilla Ice Cream

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

VanillaCreamSweetness

Tasting Notes

Sweet cream and true vanilla: the colder, denser and more honest the scoop, the better it stands against a bitter partner.

Frozen cream with air churned in

Vanilla ice cream is milk, cream or another fat with sugar and vanilla, frozen while it is churned so air is folded through. Many recipes add egg yolk for a custard base. The amount of air matters in a drink: a dense scoop melts slowly and creams the glass, while a light one turns to froth almost at once.

In the Stout Float it is lowered, not dropped

Our Stout Float pours 250ml of Irish stout into a tall glass with room under the rim, waits about thirty seconds for the head to settle, then lowers one firm scoop in. The ice cream frees gas from the stout, so a dropped scoop foams over. As it melts, the drink turns sweet and creamy from the edges inward. The optional 15ml of Irish cream drizzled over the top is a cream liqueur, so it adds alcohol and more milk.

Ice cream, sorbet and cream as a drink ingredient

Vanilla ice cream

Dairy: Yes
Egg: Often
What it does: Chills, sweetens and creams as it melts
In our recipes: Stout Float

Lemon sorbet

Dairy: Usually none
Egg: Sometimes
What it does: Brings acid and body, whisked in
In our recipes: Sgroppino

Single cream

Dairy: Yes
Egg: No
What it does: Silky texture when shaken
In our recipes: White Russian, Alexander

Ingredient	Dairy	Egg	What it does	In our recipes
Vanilla ice cream	Yes	Often	Chills, sweetens and creams as it melts	Stout Float
Lemon sorbet	Usually none	Sometimes	Brings acid and body, whisked in	Sgroppino
Single cream	Yes	No	Silky texture when shaken	White Russian, Alexander

Choosing and keeping a tub

Read the ingredients: vanilla extract or seeds, and cream high on the list, point to a denser scoop than flavouring and whey. Keep it in the coldest part of the freezer and never refreeze anything that has softened. Under Annex II of Regulation (EU) 1169/2011, dairy ice cream declares milk, and custard-style tubs also declare egg.

Using it

Using Vanilla Ice Cream

Usage

One firm scoop, lowered gently into 250ml of stout after the head has settled for about thirty seconds, with 15ml of Irish cream drizzled over if you like. Serve with a long spoon.

Pro Tip

Leave a good finger of space under the rim. Ice cream sets off a second rush of foam as it meets the stout, and that foam needs somewhere to go.

Top Tips

Scoop straight from the freezer. A firm scoop melts slowly and holds its place.
Pour the stout first and let the head settle before the ice cream goes in.
Lower the scoop on a spoon rather than dropping it, or the stout foams over.
Read the ingredients for vanilla extract or seeds rather than flavouring.

Possible Substitutions

Vanilla frozen custard: denser and eggier
Clotted cream ice cream: richer and distinctly British
A dairy-free vanilla: keeps the float within everyone’s reach

Production Method

Milk, cream or other fat, sugar and vanilla, often with egg yolk, frozen while churned so air is folded in. Dense tubs carry less air than cheap, light ones.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is a stout float?

Dry Irish stout with a scoop of vanilla ice cream lowered into it, served with a long spoon. Our recipe pours 250ml of stout, waits about thirty seconds for the head to settle, adds the scoop gently and offers 15ml of Irish cream over the top as an option.

Why does my stout float foam over?

Ice cream sets the gas in the stout free, so it foams on contact. Pour the stout first, leave room under the rim, let the head settle and lower the scoop in on a spoon. Dropping it or pouring stout over ice cream sends foam down the glass.

What vanilla ice cream works in a float?

A dense one, scooped firm, with vanilla extract or seeds named in the ingredients. Light, airy tubs collapse into froth as soon as they meet the stout. A scoop that holds together melts slowly at the edges and creams the drink gradually.

Does vanilla ice cream contain egg?

Often. Custard-style recipes use egg yolk, and many tubs list egg; others are made without it. Every dairy ice cream contains milk. Read the tub before serving anyone with an egg allergy, and use a dairy-free and egg-free tub for a guest who needs one.

Can I use dairy-free ice cream in a float?

Yes. A dense oat, soya or coconut vanilla works and makes the float milk-free, provided any Irish cream is left out too, since it contains milk. Check the tub for its own allergens, such as soya.

How long does ice cream keep in the freezer?

To the date on the tub, kept frozen and sealed. Once it has softened, do not refreeze it: melting and refreezing grows ice crystals and gives a grainy scoop that melts fast in a drink. Keep the tub at the back of the freezer, not in the door.