Are you in a dire need for inspiration for an easy, surprising and above all delicious Sunday dessert? Then this ice cream with Metaxa apples will be your perfect choice. Of course this is completely different than a classic ice cream with chocolate sauce. But ready in no time. Metaxa might be your biggest challenge as it is not so well known. It is namnely a Greek wine brand. But further down in the article we will share some alternatives if you cannot find this in your local stores.

How to make ice cream with Metaxa apples?

As indicated already aboven, ice cream with Metaxa apples belongs to the dessert category "so easy, so delicious!".

Most of the work is already peeling the apple. And that is something everybody can do. I always cut the apple into quarters first. I then peel them and remove the cores. Then I cut each part several times lengthwise. Finally, I cut pieces of about half a centimeter to a centimeter in width. And our apple is ready!

And from now on everything is pretty straightforward. We melt a knob of butter in a saucepan until it bubbles slightly. Then add the apple pieces. We stir everything well.

Next we add the cinnamon, the brown sugar and the Metaxa in three consecutive steps. Each time we stir the apples well so that the flavors mix well.

Now we let the Metaxa boil down briefly so that the alcohol evaporates. Then we turn off the heat. We don't want to overcook the apples either. So that they stay a bit crunchy.

Meanwhile you can prepare the bowls with ice cream. I usually take two scoops. but of course nobody forbids you to take three. Or more...

Finally we spread the Metaxa flavored apples over the ice cream. And then it is your time to enjoy!

Which apple variety should I use?

Basically, you can use any type of apple. But just as the varieties differ slightly in taste, this will also lead to slight taste differences in the final result.

It is best to use a relatively neutral and juicy apple variety, which you would also eat out of hand every day. So you better stay away from the extremely sour or mealy apple varieties.

Concretely, this means that I usually use golden delicious, jonagold or pink lady apples. Those are the varieties that I like the most, and therefore also have in my house normally. These are the apple varieties that keep my doctor away.

What is Metaxa? And what are potential alternatives?

Based on the name you might already guess that Metaxa is Greek. And indeed it is! It is a Greek wine distillate with a high alcohol content. It is distilled from the must of various Greek grapes. After two rounds of distillation, it is aged in oak barrels for at least three years. Then it is mixed with herbs and Greek muscat wine until it has an alcohol content of at least 38%.

Metaxa was first marketed in 1888 by the Greek winegrower Spyros Metaxas and his brother Elias. Since 2000, the brand name has been owned by the French Remy Cointreau.

Alternatives for Metaxa

As promised earlier, we won't leave you desparate because you don't have Metaxa at home. And worse, there is nowhere where you can buy it in your area. No need to panic, we will share some alternatives here:

Asbach Uralt: this is a German wine brandy with an alcohol content of 36%.
Grappa: This Italian wine brandy is considered one of the best alternatives to Metaxa.
Cognac: this wine brandy comes from the French region of Cognac and must mature in oak barrels for at least two years. The main difference is that other grape varieties are used.
Calvados: Calvados is not made from grapes but from apples. But of course that fits well because we also use apples here.

Rum, sherry and whiskey are also often recommended as alternatives. But for this particular recipe I still prefer the above alternatives.

Read more about Metaxa and its alternatives in the following articles:

More surprising.icecream

Are you also in love with icecream? and would you even consider making it at home? But unfortunately you have no ice cream machine? No problem, even without an ice cream machine you can make the most delicious ice cream. Try and convince yourself with the following recipes: