If you like gelato — and getting buzzed — you'll want to note that Quore, maker of booze-spiked gelato, is opening two new South Florida locations.
Founder Kwon Jin Lee views Quore as a pairing of two adult guilty pleasures: ice cream (in this case, gelato) and liquor. Flavors are infused with brand-name spirits, from Glenmorangie single-malt Scotch whisky mixed with a sea-salt gelato to Hennessy Cognac blended with a ricotta and fig gelato.
And they are truly boozy. Each scoop contains approximately 5 percent ABV and a punch roughly equivalent to a pint of beer. (For that reason, only those 21 and over can partake.)
The brand, which debuted its first location in the Aventura Mall in November 2020, will open the doors to its Broward County location later this month at 777 N. Ocean Dr. on Hollywood Beach. This spring, a Wynwood location at 2701 NW Second Ave. will be added.
Jin Lee tells New Times he set out to create Quore to offer adults an elevated dessert experience — something he was hard-pressed to find with similar liquor-infused products.
Born in Korea, Jin Lee moved to Argentina as a child. He started his first business at age 7, building toys and selling them in his town where he lived. As an adult, his business ideas expanded to the hospitality industry with nightclubs, restaurants, and — now — Quore.
"Traveling through many cities in the U.S. and Europe, I realized that the world of cocktails and ice cream weren't merged. I was looking for the perfect balance to offer both natural ingredients combined with the best spirits in the world," Jin Lee says. "The goal was to achieve the best of the best, where I could enjoy both pleasures at the same time."
Jin Lee designed Quore over the course of three years, working closely with ice cream consultant Malcolm Stogo, founder of Ice Cream University.
Moving forward, all three South Florida Quore gelato boutiques will serve more than 20 flavors, available in both pint and half-pint sizes and priced at $9 to $29. The menu takes just about any type of premium liquor you can name — from Champagne and Kahlúa to bourbon and rum — and marries it with complementary gelato flavors. Augmenting the main menu, locations will offer limited-edition and seasonal batches. Vegan flavors are also available.
Jin Lee says Quore's most popular flavors include dulce de leche kicked up with Don Julio reposado tequila, and the "Mango & Vodka," a mango gelato spiked with Belvedere vodka. "Right now, everyone is also loving our "Salted Caramel & Whiskey," he adds. "Perhaps because it's made with Macallan 12-year single-malt whisky."
Quore. 19501 Biscayne Blvd., Second Floor, Aventura; open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; quoregelato.com. Hollywood Beach location opens next week, Wynwood location later this spring.