Boozy Dishes Featuring Alcohol
Alcohol is a versatile drink, used not only in cocktails and highballs. It can also be incorporated in food to enhance flavours. It is also often used as a marinade, or in batter, and can help to tenderize meat. Many decadent desserts also feature alcohol to give it just a little kick in taste. Almost every kind of alcohol can be used in cooking — wine, beer, rum, bourbon, vodka, you name it! It’s time to experiment with these tasty dishes that contain alcohol, and experience the extents of what alcohol can do. All you’ll need is some booze, and a little bit of time.
But first, some facts
Consuming food that’s been cooked with alcohol won’t get you drunk like drinking straight alcohol would, but these dishes certainly still contain a level of alcohol in them. There is a longstanding myth that heat will eliminate any trace of alcohol from food, but this isn’t exactly true. Alcohol needs to simmer on the heat for a few hours in order to be fully cooked out. Even then, cooking out alcohol won’t completely decrease the calories it contains. A gram of alcohol contains about 7 calories. More calories are evaporated with time, depending on how long you cook the alcohol out for.
Alcohol for sauce: Penne alla vodka
Many dishes use alcohol in the sauce or gravy. But what’s a better combo than pasta and alcohol? This penne alla vodka recipe was trending for a hot minute, so here’s a simple recipe you can try out.
1. Ingredients needed:
- Penne
- Vodka
- Butter
- Tomatoes, or tomato sauce / puree
- Garlic cloves
- Cooking cream
- Red pepper flakes, crushed
- Parmesan cheese
2. Directions:
Cook your pasta according to packaging instructions. While the penne is cooking, heat up a skillet over medium heat. To the skillet, throw in your butter, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, then add in the tomato sauce and vodka. Leave this to simmer in a low heat for 5 minutes. Then add in your cream. Drain your penne, saving a little bit of pasta water. Add the cooked pasta into the sauce with the pasta water to thicken the sauce. Throw in your parmesan cheese and mix well.
3. Recommended vodka, available at Red & White:
- Smirnoff Vodka
- Tito’s Handmade Vodka
- Skyy Vodka
Alcohol as marinade: Bourbon chicken
I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.Alcohol as marinade: Bourbon chicken
Marinating meat in booze brings out a whole new world of flavours. Try out this bourbon chicken recipe to prove this for yourself!
1. Ingredients needed:
- Olive oil
- Bourbon
- Chicken
- Honey
- Garlic cloves
- Ginger (grated or paste)
- Cornstarch
2. Directions:
For the marinade, mix together bourbon, honey, minced garlic, and ginger. Pour half of the marinade into a Ziploc bag and place the chicken in there. Refrigerate between 4 hours to overnight. Bring the other half of the marinade to a boil in a saucepan. Add in a mixture of cornstarch and water, and simmer under low heat until the glaze thickens. You can bake, grill, or even pan fry the chicken to your liking. Brush with the glaze as you go. Serve on a bed of rice, or with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies on the side.
3. Recommended bourbon, available at Red & White:
- Jim Beam American Straight Bourbon Whisky
- Wild Turkey 81 Bourbon
Alcohol in the batter: Beer-battered fish tacos
Beer is very commonly used in batter for frying, like in this recipe for beer-battered fish tacos.
1. Ingredients needed:
- Beer
- Cod
- Corn tortillas
- Greek yogurt
- Cornstarch
- All purpose flour
- Ground black pepper
- Green cabbage, shredded
- Pickled veggies
2. Directions:
Start with the batter. In a bowl, mix in your cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper. Then pour in your beer a little at a time and mix thoroughly. Cut up your fish into squares and dip them in the batter before placing the pieces in hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes. Now it’s time to assemble the taco! Lay out your tortilla and place the fish pieces in the center. Lather with Greek yogurt and add in pickled veggies and cabbage.
Alcohol in dessert: Chocolate rum balls
The sweetness of rum makes it a perfect ingredient in desserts. Many delectable dishes use rum, but here is a simple recipe to get you started.
1. Ingredients needed:
- Dark rum
- Cream cheese
- Instant coffee
- Ground almonds
- Unsweetened chocolate
- Oreos
2. Directions:
Warm up your rum and dissolve the instant coffee granules in it. In a bowl, add cream cheese, sugar, and almonds. Beat well, then pour over the rum mixture and mix together. Finally, add in melted chocolate to the mix and stir. Put this mixture in the fridge for about an hour. While waiting, crush your Oreos. Once the mix is ready, roll them into 1-inch balls and coat them in the crushed Oreos. Refrigerate in an airtight container and make sure they don’t stick together.
3. Recommended dark rum, available at Red & White:
- Myers Original Dark Rum
- Plantation Original Dark Rum
- Angostura 7 Years Rum
Alcohol to complement: Mussels with white wine, lemon, and chorizo
As we’ve learned in this article about how to pair wine with food seafood pairs well with white wine. You can enjoy a glass of white with your seafood dish, or you can do one better and cook with the wine.
1. Ingredients needed:
- Mussels
- Dry white wine
- Spicy chorizo
- Shallots
- Garlic cloves
- Diced tomatoes
- Thyme
- Parsley
- Lemon zest and lemon juice
2. Directions:
Add olive oil to a pot and heat up the chorizo over medium heat. Throw in your garlic and shallots and leave them to caramelise. Once that’s done, add in the thyme, tomatoes, parsley, and lemon zest. The tomatoes will begin to sweat and release juice. Pour white wine over the mix and let it boil to cook the alcohol out. Next, throw in the mussels. Put the lid on the pot and let them steam until they open up. Throw out the mussels that remain closed, then add in your lemon juice. Season to taste.
3. Recommended white wine, available at Red & White:
- Shearwater Pinot Grigio
- Fantinel Borgo Tesis Pinot Grigio
