Pink Dream

This is what happens when a milkshake walks into a cocktail bar. Raspberry sherbet brings the pink color and tart fruit notes, vanilla ice cream gives the drink its creamy dessert-like body, and white creme de cacao adds a subtle chocolate-vanilla layer that takes the drink from kids’ table to grown-up territory. The vodka is more of an accent than the engine here. It is doing the job of adding a faint bite without overpowering the dessert flavors.

Blend everything together until thick and pour into a stemmed wine glass. The drink should be spoonable at first, then thin slightly as it sits. Serve with a short straw and a long spoon. It works for a brunch dessert, a Valentine’s Day pour, or a poolside afternoon sip when you want something cold that drinks like ice cream.

Quick Tips

• Use raspberry sherbet, not raspberry sorbet. Sherbet contains dairy and gives the drink its creamy body. Sorbet makes the texture icy and thin.
• Slightly soften the ice cream and sherbet before blending. Rock-hard scoops strain most blender motors and leave unblended chunks.
• Use crushed ice if your blender struggles with cubes. Less work for the blade and a smoother final texture.
• Serve in a chilled glass. The Pink Dream warms up fast and the texture shifts the moment it does.

Variations

• Use chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla for a chocolate-raspberry version.
• Sub the vodka for raspberry vodka or Chambord for deeper raspberry character.
• Top with whipped cream and a fresh raspberry for a presentation-worthy finish.