What’s Shakin’

By Christine Pasalo
Photos by Brevin Blach

Save the Milk Duds and candy corn for the blood-sucking trick-or-treaters at your doorstep and satisfy your sugar cravings with a frightfully good, booze-infused milk shake instead.

At his new Encinitas eatery, Solace and the Moonlight Lounge, chef/owner Matt Gordon is shaking things up with two frozen treats he calls “hot shakes.” The frothy confections are served in chilled glasses-the hotness comes from the alcohol, which generates internal warmth with every sip.

Gordon’s Gin Gin Ginger shake is made from ginger ice cream, ginger beer and Tru2 Organic Gin.

“I tried to make a ginger cocktail that tasted good or passed my wife’s taste test, and it didn’t really happen,” Gordon says. “I added ice cream to it a year-and-a-half later, and it really seemed to work.”

Another shake is a blend of white whiskey (devoid of color because it hasn’t been aged in barrels), vanilla ice cream and coffee liquor-with a marshmallow cream float on top.

This drink, dubbed The Duderino, pays liquid homage to Jeff Bridges’ White Russian-drinking character in the movie The Big Lebowski, a silkscreen image of which hangs by the bar at Solace.

“A take on the White Russian was just a natural progression,” Gordon says.

Getting to the bottom of one of these beverages is a breeze. And while it may be uncouth to make slurping sounds when you get there, Gordon says bring it on.

“They used to say a burp was a sign of appreciation for food,” he says. “If you’re slurping (a hot shake), that means you want every little drop.”

25 East E St., Encinitas
760.753.2433, eatatsolace.com

Dude, Sweet!
Too chill to remove your bathrobe and head out in public? Try whipping up a Duderino at home with Matt Gordon’s no-longer-secret recipe.

What’s Inside
3 large scoops of vanilla bean ice cream
1.5 ounces High West White Whiskey (or your favorite, non-flavored vodka)
1 ounce coffee liqueur
1 ounce marshmallow syrup
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

Making It
Blend the ice cream, whiskey (or vodka), coffee liqueur and marshmallow syrup in a blender. Swirl the chocolate syrup around the inside of a chilled, empty glass. Pour the shake into the glass, top with more marshmallow syrup and serve with a straw.