A hybrid dessert–cocktail for warm summer nights when you don’t want a lumpen pudding: cold and refreshing but sweet, creamy and alcoholic. Fiddle around with the measures and ingredients as you like; this should be taken as a starting point, and one on the large and strong side at that. Serve in a tall glass, a dish with a spoon, or pour it out in tumblers. You can dust it with cinnamon, chocolate, nutmeg, etc. Try with a strong black coffee (espresso is best) on the side. Or you can pour the coffee in (cold) — dessert, coffee and post-prandial dram in one.

Into a blender:

• 1 measure each of dark rum, amaretto, Kahlua or Tia Maria, and creme de banane. Creme de cacao, (preferably dark), brandy, coconut liqueurs, etc all make excellent additions/substitutes
• 4 or so good-sized scoops vanilla ice cream (to taste); a little milk can be added for better blending

I prefer to leave small lumps of ice cream in the mix; a quick churn in the blender is plenty.

Restaurants and bars can often be persuaded to make this, though it’s rarely cheap.

Paul Fishman (Bristol, May 2014)

NB I first published a version of this in a feature in the Windermere Wine Stores Wine Club newsletter.