If there’s one thing people love this summer, it’s booze-infused icey treats. (Hello, vodka ice pops at Costco.) Now, thanks to a bill signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday, along with the valiant efforts of Gilligan’s Island ice cream shop, malt and hop lovers can get in on the trend—beer and cider ice cream are officially legal in New York State.
Wine ice cream has been legal in the state since 2008.
“Both the dairy and craft beer/cider industries are key contributors to our agriculture economy. By combing the two, we are able to capitalize on homegrown New York ingredients with the creation of a cool new, innovative product,” Senator James L. Seward (R-C-I-Ref, Oneonta), who sponsored the bill, said in a statement.
Gilligan’s, a Sherburne, N.Y.-based ice cream shop and diner that already makes wine ice cream, originally developed beer ice cream flavors with Michael Coons, brewmaster at the Copper Turret Restaurant and Brewhouse in Morrisville, a brewery affiliated with Morrisville State College, NYup.com reports. The collaborators discovered that although wine ice cream had been legal for 10 years, beer and cider weren’t included in the law.
Gilligan’s first legal offerings are available at Good Nature, another brewery that helped develop the treat. The beer ice cream is also expected to debut at the Syracuse Nationals car show at the New York State Fairgrounds July 20, and at the State Fair starting Aug. 22.
Thus far, flavors include Ice Cream Ale, made with a dark ale from the Copper Turret; Bavarian Chocolate, made with chocolate beer; and Double Buzz, made with coffee beer, NYup.com reports.
As for how many licks it’ll take to get buzzed, each beer and cider ice cream is permitted to contain up to 5 percent alcohol by volume.
