What’s better than peppermint ice cream? It may be ice cream with booze in it

Thanksgiving isn’t even here yet, but we have news: Christmas may be saved.

Forget the annual complaining about the lack of peppermint ice cream. (Although I’ll still break for Graeter’s.) Hardscoop, the alcohol-laced ice cream from Charleston, arrived in Charlotte a few months ago, which means we’re in time for Hardscoop’s limited-edition holiday flavors.

We had so many questions, so I reached out to a Hardscoop spokesperson, Kristina Loughrey, for an explanation:

Technically, Hardscoop Distillery makes an “alcohol-infused specialty dessert.” Made with corn-based neutral grain spirits they distill themselves, it’s 16 proof (or 8% alcohol by volume), so a serving packs about the same punch as a glass of wine.

It’s usually available in coffee, chocolate and vanilla flavors (plus occasional special flavors, like pumpkin spice and butter rum and, oh my goodness, where has butter rum ice cream been all my life?) For the holidays, they’re adding two more: Egg nog and Chocolate Peppermint Bark. Which isn’t technically peppermint, but chunks of chocolate and peppermint in alcohol-laced ice cream is close enough.

Hardscoop is $9.99 for a 375ml container (basically a pint). Look for it in Reid’s Fine Foods, Max & Lola’s, Total Wine & More, and at Southern Spirits in Indian Land and Stateline Elite in Fort Mill.

Obviously, it’s for adults only.

This story was originally published November 14, 2018 at 3:30 PM.