Scoop, There It Is: BOTLD and Tipsy Scoop Are Bringing Philly’s First “Barlour” to Rittenhouse
The bottle shop at 119 S 18th Street is teaming up with NYC-based Tipsy Scoop for a cocktail-bar-meets-boozy-ice-cream concept opening May 9th—and yes, “barlour” is a real word now.
If someone told us a year ago that we’d be writing about a place where you can order a whiskey salted caramel ice cream cone alongside a bottle of Bird Gang Whiskey to go, we’d have said “tell us where to sign up.” Well, sign-ups are officially open!
BOTLD, the neighborhood bottle shop at 119 S 18th Street, is partnering with NYC-based Tipsy Scoop to bring it’s first “barlour” to Philly, and it’s set to open early-ish May!
So, yeah, to say we’re pretty psyched may be a bit of an understatement, tbh.
From Bottle Shop to Barlour
For those who haven’t stopped in, BOTLD opened their Rittenhouse location back in 2022, moving into the space that longtime Ramblers will remember as Benjamin Lovell Shoes, which relocated over to 1728 Chestnut Street. What makes BOTLD unique is that they work directly with distillers to bottle their goods—which lets them get around PA’s quirky liquor laws. Pretty remarkable, tbh.
In 2024 they announced plans to convert about 1,000 square feet of their 1,800-square-foot space into a cocktail bar—we figured it’d be similar to their Midtown Village setup. But it looks like Tipsy Scoop came into the picture, and it completely makes sense (to us, anyway) since the Rittenhouse ice cream game is STRONG.
The Boozy Scoop on Tipsy Scoop
Sooooo…what exactly is Tipsy Scoop? Founded in New York City, Tipsy Scoop makes alcohol-infused ice cream with real liquor in it, in flavors like “Cake Batter Vodka Martini,” “Dark Chocolate Whiskey Salted Caramel,” and “Vanilla Bean Bourbon.” The ice cream contains up to 5% ABV, so it’s legit boozy, not just booze-flavored. And according to the Philadelphia Business Journal, this marks Tipsy Scoop’s first move into the Philly market.
What Even IS a “Barlour”?
Fair question. The idea is that the cocktails and the ice cream aren’t just sharing a space—they’re designed to play off each other. Think of it less like an ice cream shop that happens to serve drinks, and more like a bar experience where boozy frozen desserts are part of the menu DNA. It’s like a sommelier pairing dinner, except the pairing is whiskey and ice cream (yum!)
At BOTLD, we’re thinking it’ll flow a bit differently: you order a craft cocktail made with something from BOTLD’s deep spirits lineup, then follow it up with a scoop of Cake Batter Vodka Martini ice cream. Or skip straight to a tasting flight of boozy flavors before settling in for a proper drink. Because why decide between dessert and a nightcap when you can have both?
Why This Works for Rittenhouse
This is one of those concepts that could really only land in a neighborhood like ours—where a bottle shop can casually announce it’s becoming a “barlour” and everyone just nods and says “yeah, that tracks.” Rittenhouse has always been a place where dining and drinking concepts push the envelope, and a cocktail-and-boozy-ice-cream hybrid fits right into that tradition.
The transformation for BOTLD’s new roommate is already underway. According to PhillyVoice, the 1,000-square-foot expansion will house the ice cream operation alongside the cocktail service, while BOTLD’s bottle shop continues running in the remaining space. So you can still pop in for a bottle of wine on a Tuesday—but now you can also stay for a scoop of something a little more… spirited.
Mark Your Calendar: May 9th
The teams at both BOTLD and Tipsy Scoop seem confident about the May 9th debut, and we’re tracking the progress closely. On the menu? Philly exclusive flavors like Philly Phreeze (spiked water ice) and Bird Gang Blackout, and the new “barlour” will join the ever growing list of one-of-a-kind drinking and dining experiences that make our neighborhood pretty damn good.
We’ll be monitoring the opening and will update you as soon as we have more details about hours, specific offerings, and—most importantly—that sweet, boozyish first taste. In the meantime, follow Tipsy Scoop and Botld on Insta to stay in the know!
