Adults only: Boozy Moo's delicious alcohol-infused ice cream

Happy Thursday, Capital District! Today, we’re putting you on to an adults-only treat… Boozy Moo’s alcohol-infused ice cream! What were you thinking?? 😉 Plus, get ready for a splendid wintry weekend with our Top 5 Weekend Picks ⛄️ ❄️ 

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Boozy Moo: A sweet treat that can get you tipsy 🍨 🍸️ 😅 

What do you do when the world shuts down just days after you open a hatchet-throwing bar? 

If you’re Leyla Kiosse, you turn a pandemic problem into a sweet solution.

Boozy Moo, her alcohol-infused, small-batch ice cream brand, came to life as a way to bring in some cash during Covid. When her Albany bar, The Yard Hatchet House, shut down, Leyla started experimenting with her ice cream maker and created her first boozy batch. 

By that summer, Boozy Moo was thriving with takeout orders. Fast forward to today, Leyla is so bullish on the brand that she recently decided to put up The Yard for sale (it’s yours for $289K) to focus exclusively on building the ice cream business.

Boozy Moo now boasts a production facility in Voorheesville, wholesale accounts from Albany to Rochester, and more than 40 adult flavors like "Shut Your Pie Hole" (pecan pie, caramel turtle and Ballotin whiskey) and "Girls Gone Wild" (Samoa cookie with caramel vodka, coconut cream and chocolate liqueurs). Leyla also makes custom ice cream cakes and will even personally deliver your order.

Something magical happens when you infuse ice cream with spirits; it develops complexity and nuance, and the alcohol’s lower freezing point makes the ice cream softer and creamier. Also, it’s just fun to eat ice cream with adult flavors!

Boozy Moo also contains higher fat content and far less air than lower-quality ice creams. The result? A final product that’s extra creamy and flavorful.

“The amount of air you whip into ice cream is called overrun,” Leyla tells us during a recent tasting at The Yard. “The lower your overrun, the more premium your ice cream. Ours is super premium because we're extremely low on how much air we put in, so you’re getting mostly ingredients.”

We can vouch for it—Boozy Moo is rich and creamy and delicious! And at 5% ABV, we actually did get a bit of a buzz after polishing off our three-scoop tasting 🙃 

The deets: Boozy Moo. Get a flight of 3 flavors for $10 at The Yard, 16 Sheridan Ave, Albany. You can also get the ice cream at 705 New Salem Rd, Voorheesville, or at these select retailers. Exclusive for The 518 subscribers: Use promo code “518scoop” to get $3 off any order over $14. One per customer. Valid through 2/15.

Reader poll results: The guvnah’s $400M gift to Albany

In our most-voted poll yet, a majority of you (55%) expressed “cautious optimism” for Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to pump a staggering $400 million into improvements for the city of Albany. But 38% of you were less sure, saying “you’ll believe when you see it.” Interestingly, only a small fraction of readers thought the money should be better spent elsewhere, and only one person said “it’s never gonna happen.”

Liz R. wrote in to say she’s “currently praying to Lesbian Jesus to make it real!” Can we get an amen? 🙏 

❄️ WEATHER WATCH

A word from our sponsor

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🚨 Schenectady police are searching for three teenage girls who left the campus of Northeast Parent and Child Society on Hamburg Street. Authorities believe the girls left voluntarily, but they have not been seen since. [News10]

🤖 It’s a done deal, says US senator Chuck Schumer. Albany NanoTech will host the first National Semiconductor Technology Center, solidifying the Capital Region as a global leader in semiconductor research. The $825 million deal promises to attract leading companies, bolster AI infrastructure, and strengthen local education and job opportunities. [Spectrum News]

😥 In case you missed it, the “Mayor of Lark Street” died on Dec. 31 at age 60 from cancer. A fixture in the community, da mayor (real name: Willie Nelson Jr.) served as a longtime guardian for the street’s businesses and residents. This Reddit thread shows how locals truly treasured his presence. [Times Union]

⭐️ = The 518 Staff Picks

⭐️ 🎙️ This Saturday, Shemekia Copeland lights up The Egg with her powerful voice and playfully intimate songwriting, blending traditional blues with contemporary themes. This performance promises to be an exceptionally 🔥 evening. Sat, 8p, $39—$49.

⭐️ ❄️ Grafton Lakes State Park opens the winter festival season with its 40th Annual Winter Fest. Pack your warm blankets and break out your endorphins for the polar plunge, food trucks and horse-drawn wagon rides. Sat. 11:30a—3p, free.

⭐️ 💘 Baby, it’s cold outside. Make the most of cuffing season at Metropolitan Matchmaker’s Monthly Happy Hour for Singles at Kindred in Saratoga. Fri, 6—8p, $15—$20 | free for members.

⭐️ 🌺 This weekend’s Cathedral in Bloom Show, set in the stunning 1880s neo-Gothic All Saints Cathedral, elevates the (not-so-humble) flower to a symbolic level. In this soaring space, the ephemeral beauty of the flower becomes a memento mori, lingering with the cloying fragrance of nature’s yearly resurrection. (How’s that for flowery language?) Enjoy this feast for the eyes and soul all weekend, $10—$25.

⭐️ ❄️ Snowshoe up Yonda Farm is a chance for newbies to try out this winter sport. Explore easy-to-moderate snowshoe trails and enjoy the winter scenery. Naturalist-led hikes on weekends in January and February at 10:30a or 1:30p. Snowshoe rentals for all ages are available on-site, no reservations needed.

🎟️ MORE NOTABLE EVENTS

THURSDAY

🎷 Branford Marsalis is kind of a big deal in our book. This would have been a Top 5 Weekend Pick if it weren’t on a weeknight! The Grammy-winning saxophonist, bandleader, classical soloist, and Broadway composer is sure to captivate the crowd at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall this evening.

📸 The Center for Photography Woodstock (CPW) celebrates its grand reopening in a larger space this evening. Glad to see the Times Union wrote about it, ‘cause this free event is definitely worth the drive for photo aficionados.

🏀 The Siena Saints play the Sacred Heart Pioneers at the MVP Arena.

FRIDAY

☕️ Get motivated to stick with your New Year resolutions at the Coffee & Cardio Workout Party at Stacks Espresso in Troy.

🎸 Moe. jams out with their “sonic adventurousness and tongue-in-cheek humor” at the Bearsville Theater tonight and Sat.

🕯️ Celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at the Empire State Plaza.

🦉 Learn how our feathered friends brave the cold at the Albany Pine Bush Winter Bird Walk.

SATURDAY

🧱 Bring the kids for this free Clay Play Day at Troy’s Context Collective.

🇰🇷 Wanna learn how to make Korean dishes like jjam bbong (spicy seafood noodle soup)? Sign up for this cooking class in Albany on Sat or Sun.

🪐 May the force be with our Albany FireWolves for Stars Wars Night as they go up against the Colorado Mammoth.

SUNDAY

🛍️ The Malta Flea Market returns to the Clifton Park Center Mall.

🧘‍♂️ Bend & Brew at Unified Beerworks is your chance to start the new year right with some downward dog and cold draft beer.

🎸 LIVE MUSIC & MORE

GET YOUR EVENT ON THE LIST 🎸

🫵 WE WANT YOUR NOMINATIONS

Throughout the year, we’ll be featuring local personalities and small businesses for our “People & Places You Should Know” series—like today’s Boozy Moo. Nominate someone you think deserves some attention in the newsletter. Contact [email protected].