Brown sugar is rich in molasses, like the unrefined sugars of yore, but it is acidic and will curdle the milk if the two are cooked together. To combat this, cook the brown sugar, bourbon, and cream into a sauce that is added to the custard when both are cool. Cooking the bourbon with the sauce helps cook out the alcohol in the bourbon, too, which prevents the alcohol from depressing the freezing point of the ice cream and ultimately making it too soft to scoop. And if you'd like to leave out the bourbon entirely, I think you'll find this flavor is quite delicious even without it.
For the best texture, use a commercial stabilizer: 3g / 1 teaspoon mixed with 15 g / 1 tablespoon of sugar and added to the milk, and remove 15 g / 1 tablespoon brown sugar from the recipe.
For the least icy texture, use guar or xanthan gum: 1 g / ¼ teaspoon whirled in a blender with the custard base after it is chilled in the ice bath.
For the easiest stabilizer, use tapioca starch: 5g / 2 teaspoons mixed with 20g / 2 tablespoons of cold milk, whisked into the custard base after it is finished cooking.
For the most accessible stabilizer, use cornstarch: 10g / 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon, mixed with 20g / 2 tablespoons of cold milk, whisked into the milk and glucose after they come to a boil, then cooled for 1 minute.
Recipe notes
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