The exterior of Tipsy Scoop on 23rd Avenue. Photo by Queens Post
May 8, 2024 By Queens Post News Team
Tipsy Scoop, a booze-inspired ice cream store that blends classic and contemporary cocktails with a variety of ice cream flavors, celebrated its grand opening in Astoria on Saturday.
The store, located at 38-15 23rd Avenue, is the sixth Tipsy Scoop location to open in New York and the first to open in Queens.
The new store features a wide variety of booze-infused ice-cream flavors, including Tipsy Scoop staples such as Cake Batter Vodka Martini, Tequila Mexican “Hot” Chocolate, and Mango Margarita.
A poster for Tipsy Scoop Astoria’s exclusive Queens flavor Boozy Baklava alongside a sample bottle of Barenjager Honey Liqueur. Photo by Queens Post
It also features two exclusive Queens-inspired flavors: Boozy Baklava—in a nod to Astoria’s Greek community—and Grand Slammed, a US Open-inspired sundae featuring caramel peanut butter lager ice cream, caramel popcorn, and chocolate fudge.
Tipsy Scoop also serves a variety of alcohol-inspired sundaes, boozy ice cream cakes, standard cocktails, ice cream cocktails, and “virgin” ice cream for children and teetotalers.
All booze-infused ice cream sold at Tipsy Scoop is 5 percent proof to ensure that the alcohol does not overpower the flavor of the ice cream.
A boozy ice-cream flight at Tipsy Scoop. Photo by Queens Post
A single scoop of liquor-infused ice cream costs $6.50, with two scoops costing $9.50. Meanwhile, customers can purchase cocktails for $14, ice-cream cocktails for $16, and sundaes for $18.50. Customers can also avail of a “flight” of up to four flavors for $19.
The store can seat 15 customers inside and eight customers in an outdoor seating area. It is open from 1 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from noon until 10 p.m. on weekends.
Franchisees Eddie Alvarado and Kimberly Medina at the new Astoria location. Photo by Queens Post
Franchisees Kimberly Medina and Eddie Alvarado said they picked the 23rd Avenue location because of its proximity to the vibrant community of Steinway Street. They added that they hope the store will become a late-night destination for people who have been out for dinner or a movie.
The pair said they have received a warm welcome from the local community since acquiring franchising rights six months ago.
“The neighborhood is amazing,” Medina said. “The people that live in the neighborhood are amazing. It’s such a vibrant community, and I can’t wait to move forward from here”
The local community gave Tipsy Scoop a warm welcome ahead of Saturday’s grand opening. Several people lined up outside more than an hour before the store opened to be among the first 25 customers and receive a $1 scoop of ice cream.
Melissa Tavss, who founded Tipsy Scoop in 2014 as a catering and events business, said she has been looking to open a location in Queens for some time.
Astoria-inspired artwork inside the new Tipsy Scoop location. Photo by Queens Post
Tavss said she encountered a number of Queens residents who informed her that it took them at least an hour to reach a Tipsy Scoop location, with three located on Long Island in addition to one location in Brooklyn and one in Manhattan.
She said Tipsy Scoop will supply the new location with ice cream produced in Red Hook, Hudson Valley, and described the products as “super fresh.”
“People always say that we don’t talk enough about how good the actual ice cream is. It’s really great quality,” Tavss said, adding that their ice cream was not some “gimmicky” product that happened to have alcohol.
Tavvs, whose great-grandfather came from Italy and opened several gelato stores in the UK, said she always wanted to carry on her family’s ice-cream-making tradition.
She said she often tried to make ice cream at home but struggled to find the right consistency. So, she added a small amount of alcohol to soften the ice cream and then “fell in love” with the idea of infusing it with alcohol.
She launched Tipsy Scoop as a catering business in 2014 and didn’t have any plans to open a brick-and-mortar location. However, a behind-the-scenes video of the booze-infused ice cream production process went viral on Facebook, creating such a large demand for the product that people started showing up at the production facility.
Tavss added that she aims to keep alcohol content low in order to maintain the consistency of the ice cream.
“Our ice cream does not exceed 5 percent alcohol by volume,” Tavvs said. “That ratio allows us to maintain an ice cream consistency that is creamy and delicious. So the flavors are not overpowering.”
“It’s very subtle. We have some people try some flavors and tell us, ‘There’s no way there’s alcohol in there.’ And other people are like, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s so much alcohol.’ It very much depends on the person.
“A big question we get is how much do I need to eat to feel [the effects of the alcohol]? That’s really not the purpose of Tipsy Scoop, but if you’re trying to do it, it kind of depends on your ice cream tolerance.”
Photo by Queens Post
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