Baileys gelato

This gelato builds the flavour of Baileys around a proper custard-style base made with milk, cream and egg yolk, together with a substantial amount of espresso. The result is not simply sweet and boozy: the roasted coffee notes add depth and prevent the liqueur from becoming the only dominant flavour.

From a technical point of view, alcohol is the element that requires the most attention. Baileys is incorporated into the cold mixture before churning, rather than being exposed to pasteurisation, helping to retain more of its aromatic character. At the same time, its alcohol content affects the freezing point and therefore the final texture of the gelato.

For this reason, the formulation is different from a standard custard gelato, both in its sugars and in the stabiliser used. It shows why simply adding liqueur to an existing base does not necessarily produce the same balance as a recipe designed from the beginning to contain alcohol.