This is the first time we have ever made gelato. Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream, and we have made ice cream many times but this is different in the sense that there is very little cream and it has 4 egg yolks. So this is more like a frozen custard.  Usually there are noticable ice crystals in the ice cream we make simply from cream, milk, sugar and vanilla. We have made ice cream using eggs as a base, which is quite excellent, although it is not really gelato. But at least there are very small ice crystals so it does seem extremely smooth.
But this chocolate gelato is even smoother and richer. Some of this is because of the 4 egg yolks instead of the two whole eggs in the traditional egg-based ice cream. Method On the stovetop we heated the milk, cream and a ½ cup of sugar in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, just until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is simmering. The add the cocoa powder and chocolate pieces and whisk until smooth. It is like an extremely rich hot chocolate at this point. Reduce the heat and let sit while you deal with the eggs. Add the 4 egg yolks and ¼ cup of sugar to a work bowl and whisk until the it becomes a pale yellow and really thick. This takes about 3 - 5 minutes. In that same bowl you will want to temper the egg mixer by slowly adding and whisking a ½ cup of the hot chocolate mix. Whisk thoroughly and then add it back into the hot sauce pan over a medium heat. Use a fry thermometer and make sure it does not get over 180° F, whisk the whole time until it reaches that temp and becomes thicker. Once is becomes thick pour the mix into a work bowl and add the vanilla, salt and whiskey. Whisk a little bit and then chill in the fridge. You can also chill the bowl in an ice bath for quicker results. Once is it been chilled you can add it into your ice cream machine. Freeze for a few hours and serve.
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