Creamsicle Recipe

Prepare glass (optional)

Chill a coupe or old-fashioned glass in the freezer for 5–10 minutes, or fill with ice water while you mix the drink. If you prefer, rim the glass with a little sugar: wet the rim with an orange slice and dip into fine sugar. Discard ice water before pouring.

Combine ingredients

Add 2 oz vanilla vodka, 0.5 oz orange liqueur, 2 oz fresh orange juice, 1 oz heavy cream, 0.25 oz simple syrup, and 0.125 tsp vanilla extract into a cocktail shaker.

Add ice and shake

Fill the shaker with about 1 cup of ice, cap it, and shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds until the outside of the shaker is frosty and the mixture is well chilled and slightly frothy from the cream.

Strain and serve

Double-strain the cocktail into the chilled glass using a Hawthorne or julep strainer (and a fine mesh strainer if you want to remove tiny ice shards).

Garnish

Express an orange twist over the drink to release oils, then drop it or perch a thin orange wheel on the rim as garnish. Serve immediately.

Optional variations: For a lighter version, substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream or use 0.5 oz cream and 0.5 oz club soda to add a light effervescence. For a sweeter, more dessert-like drink, increase simple syrup to 0.5 oz or add a barspoon of triple sec.