Old or young, sweet toothed or savoury tongued, epicure or everyman – there’s a flavour of ice cream to suit just about every taste. Whether you’d die on the classic Madagascan vanilla hill or prefer your scoop on the fruity side, a chilly sweet treat is guaranteed to hit the spot once temperatures start to climb.
Luckily for all gelato-loving gourmands, ice cream’s ubiquity is no longer confined to the warmer months and things have evolved rapidly since the days when salted caramel felt like a radical choice. Seasonal flavours and experimental serves have helped usher in a new – and considerably elevated – era for the frozen dessert, and one which has lasted past the summer’s sweltering heatwaves.
Now, parlours, restaurants and even bars are upping their frozen dessert game. Take north London haunt The Dreamery, which opened on a chilly December day in 2024 and continues to serve just two things – wine and ice cream. Then there’s New York’s hottest new bar, Unnecessary, which whipped up a Dirty Martini soft serve for its July debut this year.
If you’re anything like the team at Club Oenologique, you’ll know that any good snack isn’t eaten in isolation, and every ice cream needs its signature serve. That’s why we’ve asked drink experts to seek out their favourite pairings to sip alongside a scoop or two.
From a glass of juicy Italian Muscaris with a lemon curd and poppy seed sorbet to a French 75 with Italian ice, read on to discover the best wine, spirits, cocktails and alcohol-free serves to pair with an ice-cold cone.
Drinks to pair with ice cream, according to experts
Fruit-forward wine
Selected by Fred Clelland, Head of Wine at London wine bars Goodbye Horses, Stable Wines & The Dreamery
‘We’re really lucky at The Dreamery that our ice cream flavours are developed by Jack Coggins, head chef at Goodbye Horses. The small-batch, rotating flavours are never overly sweet, with a real focus on the ingredients themselves and whatever Jack fancies working with at that time of year eg. fig leaf, oolong and prune. That balance makes them that bit easier to pair with wine. Usually, the high sugar content in ice cream would rule out most wines other than dessert wines, where the sugar levels are more on a par.
‘We currently have a lemon curd and poppy seed flavour, which has a lovely balance of sharpness and sweetness. A considerable portion of our bottles at The Dreamery are made using a zero-zero approach, with no commercial yeast, sulphites or other additives used during vinification, giving you a really pure expression of the grape. I love pairing this one with a glass of Il Roccolo di Monticelli Impronta 2025, made from Muscaris. It’s really peachy and juicy, which complements the citrusy lemon curd, while also having enough acidity to cut through the creaminess of the ice cream.’
Club Oenologique recommends: Malavasi Camilla 2025
Coffee cocktails
Selected by Aaron Wall, founder of north London’s Homeboy Bar
‘Homeboy’s Frozen Irish Coffee is the perfect accompaniment to two scoops of ice cream. Made using Jameson Black Barrel Irish Whiskey, coffee liqueur, coffee, spiced Guinness Demerara and a condensed milk syrup, its flavour profile gives the illusion of chocolate without too much of the heaviness that a chocolate ice cream would give. Serve it beside a vanilla and strawberry ice cream and you’ve got a Turbo Neapolitan.’
Club Oenologique recommends: 9 Mile Espresso Martini
Sherried Scotch Whisky
Selected by Georgie Bell, IWSC judge and co-founder of independent whisky bottler The Heart Cut
‘Ice cream and whisky is an interesting pairing. Of course, they both fit the ‘lazy afternoon’ or ‘post dinner’ moment, but ‘traditionally’ (I use quotes for a reason) cold plus whisky doesn’t work. Some say that a cold palate will dampen what you experience in the glass. My view is that you should choose the whisky and the way you want to drink that whisky to fit the occasion, and throw the supposed rulebook out the door.
‘For a moment of contrast that plays well after dinner, you can’t go wrong with a whisky affogato. A dram of a smoky, sherried number and a shot of coffee poured over a scoop of really, really good vanilla ice cream – or rum and raisin, if you’re feeling fancy. The smoke in the whisky adds an extra flavour dimension to the dish. We’ve recently bottled a single cask from Ardnamurchan (The Heart Cut #24 Ardnamurchan), which would be a dream pairing in this situation, or The Cotswolds have a great peated cask bottling which I also love.’
Club Oenologique recommends: The Glenlivet Sherry cask matured 15-year-old Single Malt Scotch
Jamaican Rum
Ian Burrell, IWSC judge, global rum ambassador and the founder of UK RumFest
‘Although I do not order much dessert, few pairings capture pure indulgence quite like Jamaican rum and ice cream. Rich, characterful rums such as Appleton Estate, Worthy Park, and Crossfire Hurricane naturally echo flavours already found in great ice cream and gelato – caramel, vanilla, chocolate and tropical fruit. As a bonus, when the ice cream slowly melts, it creates something wonderfully decadent: your very own homemade rum cream. For me personally, the ultimate nostalgic treat is rum and raisin ice cream, where the rum amplifies every spoonful without overpowering it. It’s a simple combination that celebrates Jamaica’s finest spirit in the most comforting, delicious way imaginable. Yeah, Mahn.’
Club Oenologique recommends: Hampden Estate 15 YO pure single estate Jamaican rum
Sherry or French 75
Ryan ‘Mr Lyan’ Chetiyawardana, founder of London bars Seed Library and Lyaness, plus Silver Lyan in Washington DC and Super Lyan in Amsterdam
‘I love ice cream – and I love it in all its forms (give me a mint magnum, a Mr Whippy, fine gelato or restaurant soft serve with some great olive oil and real caviar), and finding the right pairing can give as much variety as its flavours. A cup of tea is a great balance to a rich vanilla ice cream, and Pedro Ximénez is a classic drizzled over ice cream, while the salty acidity of a Palo Cortado is a great foil to a scoop of chocolate. But although the temptation is to go sweet on sweet, the bright dryness of a French 75 is a wonderful combination to go alongside most ice creams.’
Club Oenologique recommends: Bodegas Fundador Torre Macharnudo By Harveys Palo Cortado NV
