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Your Shore Town Scoop Shop Could Soon Serve Something a Little Stronger
New Jersey already has some of the best ice cream on the East Coast. We know it. You know it. The summer lines snaking out of every boardwalk soft serve stand prove it.
But what if your next cone came with a little…kick?
A bill currently making its way through the New Jersey Legislature would legalize the sale of alcoholic frozen desserts — ice cream, sorbet, frozen yogurt, you name it — without requiring sellers to hold a liquor license.
If it passes, spiked scoops could show up in grocery store freezers and ice cream shops across the Garden State.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Zwicker and introduced in May 2026, would allow frozen desserts containing up to 5% alcohol by volume to be manufactured, sold, and distributed in New Jersey. For context, 5% ABV is roughly the same strength as a light beer, so we’re not talking about getting hammered off a waffle cone here.
On June 15, bill A5013 cleared the Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee with a 4-1 vote, with one member not voting. It’s still working its way through the full Legislature, but the committee vote signals real momentum.
New Jersey isn’t about to let boozy Ben & Jerry’s sit right next to the Popsicles in the kids’ aisle.
The bill includes a bunch of consumer protections:
- Sealed packaging only. No open scoops of rum raisin that actually has rum in it being handed over the counter to just anyone. Alcoholic frozen desserts would need to be sold in sealed packages.
- Warning labels required. Every package would need to clearly state that the product contains alcohol and can’t be sold to anyone under 21.
- Separate freezer display. Stores that put these products in customer-accessible freezers would have to keep them apart from the non-alcoholic frozen treats. Think of it like the beer aisle, but colder.
- Age verification at checkout. Just like buying a six-pack, you’d need to show ID.
- Child-appeal restrictions. Lawmakers added specific provisions to prevent the products from being marketed in ways that would attract kids.
Breaking any of these rules would constitute a disorderly persons offense under the proposal.
New Jersey would actually be following a trail that New York blazed years ago. Wine-infused ice cream has been legal in New York for over a decade.
In 2018, the state expanded the law to include beer and hard cider. Then in August 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation allowing full liquor-infused ice cream and frozen desserts, also capped at 5% ABV.
That move helped fuel the growth of companies like Tipsy Scoop, a New York City–based brand that’s been making alcohol-infused ice cream since 2014. They now have multiple locations and ship nationwide.
Their expansion into Philadelphia in May 2026 involved navigating Pennsylvania’s notoriously complex liquor laws — a reminder that every state handles this differently, and the regulatory patchwork is one of the biggest hurdles for the boozy ice cream industry.
The fact that New Jersey’s bill would let sellers skip the liquor license is a big deal. In many states, that licensing requirement is the wall that keeps small ice cream shops and grocery stores from carrying these products.
As of late June 2026, the bill remains under consideration in the New Jersey Legislature. It still needs to pass full votes in both chambers before reaching the governor’s desk. But the committee approval is an encouraging sign that there’s appetite (pun fully intended) for this in Trenton.
Here are five completely imaginary flavors we’d love to see if this becomes law:
- Shore Leave Rum Punch — Coconut ice cream swirled with dark rum, pineapple, and a ribbon of grenadine. Tastes like closing your eyes on a Belmar beach blanket.
- Taylor Ham & Amaretto (hear us out) — Sweet cream base with a hint of smoky maple, a whisper of amaretto, and tiny candied pork crumbles. Would it be weird? Yes. Would Jersey people try it? Absolutely.
- Asbury Park Aperol Spritz Sorbet — A bright, fizzy-feeling blood orange sorbet spiked with Aperol. Light, refreshing, and begging to be eaten on a rooftop.
- Blueberry Bourbon Crumble — Because New Jersey is literally the Blueberry Capital and if someone doesn’t make a bourbon blueberry ice cream the minute this law passes, we will be personally offended. Hammonton, we’re looking at you.
- Espresso Martini Chip — Rich coffee ice cream, a pour of vodka, and dark chocolate chips. For the person who wants dessert and a nightcap in the same bowl.
We’ll be watching this one — and honestly, we’re kind of rooting for it.
The bill is sponsored by Sen. Andrew Zwicker and was introduced in the New Jersey Legislature in May 2026. It cleared the Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee on June 15, 2026, by a 4-1 vote. The bill remains under consideration.
Wander Jersey covers the people, places, food, and weird laws that make New Jersey the best state. Follow us for more.
