How to Make a Bourbon-Vanilla Milkshake

This thick, creamy milkshake is made with vanilla ice cream and bourbon. It’s a classic drink now served for Aprés-Ski happy hour from the J-Bar, a stunning Western bar at the Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection in Aspen, Colorado. 

This simple spiked milkshake has a storied 100-year history. Originally called the Aspen Crud, the drink was invented during Prohibition at the J-Bar, which had been converted from a saloon to a soda fountain. It was popularized locally by miners who would frequent the soda fountain, and the boozy milkshake was an off-menu staple. 

In the 1940s, the drink became a favorite of the 10th Mountain Division, a mountaineering division of the U.S. Army that trained in Colorado’s snow-covered mountains. Since its inception, the shake has been a local favorite, and it’s still served today at the Hotel Jerome as a stalwart off-menu offering. While the J-Bar of today is clad with celebrities and ski bums alike, this drink is a sweet treat everyone will enjoy.

Why the Bourbon-Vanilla Milkshake works

Since the this milkshake has only two ingredients — vanilla ice cream and bourbon — what sets the drink apart is the amount of ingredients used and their quality. 

Bourbon and vanilla are a classic match, especially since the spirit is marked with vanilla notes from the time it spends aging in charred oak barrels. Anything aged in oak, wine and bourbon alike, will take on some of the flavors and aromas present in the wood, which are typically notes of vanilla, caramel, and toast. 

This recipe leans on French vanilla ice cream, which is ultra-creamy thanks to the addition of egg yolks in the ice cream base — it often has little black flecks of vanilla bean as well, which can enhance the flavor. Use a high-quality bourbon such as Michter’s, Bardstown Bourbon Co., or Woodford Reserve for the most flavorful rendition of this milkshake. Top off this drink with a maraschino cherry from your bar, not a bright red one you’d put on an ice cream sundae.