There was a time when ice cream was such a kiddie thing. Every children's party had to have lots of ice cream to keep the young guests — and host! — happy. A scoop or two atop a sugar cone, a scoop or more in a cup with plenty of candy sprinkles and chocolate chips… Ice cream was — and still is — definitely an elixir of happiness for young ones.

Well, ice cream is still a great treat for kids these days, but through the years it has also evolved into a treat for adults, too, not only because adults have developed a sweet tooth like a child's but, more importantly, because the flavors have likewise "grown up." Somebody thought of incorporating alcohol, such as rum, into ice cream to see if "alcoholic" ice cream can work wonders on the palate. It did, and, now, alcoholic ice cream, better known as "adult ice cream," has become an available option.

Just recently, two distinguished companies joined hands to create an entire line of adult ice cream. Karabella, a local dairy company that specializes in gelato (Italian style ice cream or frozen desserts) using 100 present fresh carabao's milk, created five new gelatos using prominent spirits and liqueurs from Destileria Limtuaco's Philippine Craft Spirits line — Very Old Captain Rum (Chocoholic artisan crafted dark rum and chocolate gelato), Paradise Mango Rum Liqueur (mango rum liqueur gelato with cashew nuts), Amadeo Coffee Liqueur (gelato with coffee-cacao nibs), Manille Liqueur de Calamansi (calamansi-basil gelato), and Intramuros Liqueur de Cacao (with Tablea chocolate chips).

This new gelato line was launched at the Destileria Limtuaco Museum, which is located within the Walled City of Intramuros in Manila. During the launch, guests went on a tour of the museum, with several ice cream stops that allowed everyone to try and enjoy all five new gelatos.

Olivia Limpe-Aw, president and chief executive officer of Destileria Limtuaco and Co. Inc., welcomed guests to the launch, after which a short program took place, highlighting how the two brands, Karabella and Destileria Limtuaco, naturally gravitated towards each other.

Destileria Limtuaco's executive vice president Aaron Limpe-Aw cited how the two brands share the advocacy of consciously working with farmers through cooperatives.

"The use of 100 percent carabao's milk was also a factor in our decision to work with Karabella. We do not like to compromise quality with our Philippine Craft Spirits line and we always use the real thing in producing our products, including the new gelatos. Carabao's milk contains 58 percent more calcium, 40 percent more protein, and 43 percent less cholesterol than cow's milk," says Aaron.

Karabella "alcoholic" gelatos featuring Destileria Limtuaco's Philippine Craft Spirits are now available at the Destileria Limtuaco Museum and Liquorexpress.ph. They will be available in major supermarkets in the fourth quarter of 2022.