The Boozy Ingredient Ina Garten Uses To Upgrade Store-Bought Vanilla Ice Cream

If you're looking for a way to elevate your bowl of store-bought vanilla ice cream, take a note from celebrity chef Ina Garten and use an underrated liqueur: limoncello. Garten raved about the combination — which she tops off with a store-bought biscotti — during a segment on the Today Show.

Limoncello, a delicious Italian liqueur that you can make at home, is made with lemon peels steeped in clear alcohol and infused with sweet simple syrup, clocking in at around 25% to 30% ABV. It will give the ice cream a burst of bright, zesty flavor to balance out the sweetness of the treat. In her recipe, Garten suggests a serving size of two scoops of vanilla ice cream with a "drizzle" of limoncello and one biscotti. Of course, a "drizzle" is subjective, so feel free to add as much or as little limoncello as you want on your bowl — the more you drizzle on, the more citrusy, zesty, and boozy the dessert will be.

Garten also suggests storing the limoncello in the freezer ahead of time before adding it to the ice cream. This will ensure that your dessert stays nice and cold, so make sure to plan ahead and pop that bottle in the freezer. One other tip? Make sure to choose a high quality ice cream brand to make the most of this dessert.

If you tried and loved Ina Garten's combination of vanilla ice cream and limoncello, then you may as well take it a step further and make yourself a limoncello float. This treat is perfect for anyone who is looking for a lighter, more refreshing, and zestier version of a root beer float. Along with limoncello and vanilla ice cream, you'll also need some Prosecco or champagne to make the drink bubbly. If you don't want to add extra alcohol, you can replace the wine with sparkling water or club soda.

Grab a tall glass and start by adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream — or however much you'd like (without taking up too much of the glass). Then, add about one ounce of limoncello — straight from the freezer, just like Garten advised — and top off the glass with the Prosecco or champagne. You can tuck a biscotti into the glass as a garnish, or try grating on some fresh lemon zest, drizzling with lemon syrup, or even adding other fruits such as berries or oranges. Finally, enjoy the refreshing, lemony, creamy treat. As Garten said at the end of her video on the Today Show, "everybody will lose their minds!"