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Alcohol is your perfect partner for sad and happy times. It can make you relax on bad days while elevating your joy on the good days. However, there’s more to booze than just gulping it straight down. Yes, alcohol is such a versatile beverage. It has endless uses in cooking, drinking, household tasks, and literally anything around the house. But, we aren’t here to discuss all of that.
Today, the topic of interest is how you can use liquor deliciously in your food and drink recipes. But, first thing first. Stock up your booze and buy wine online to have enough supply for all your dishes and cocktails. You’ll be amazed how good your dinner and morning coffee will turn out even with a few drops of your favorite wine. However, you don’t want to feel wasted after your meal, and exactly why we are here.
So, without further ado, let’s walk the journey to unveil the best foods and drinks you can make with alcohol.
5 Rules For Alcohol Pairing
Before we start talking about the use of alcohol in food and drinks, let’s have a look at some of the basic rules for alcohol pairing to elevate your experience:
🥂 Balance the weight; pair light foods with light wines and heavy cream drinks with heavy wine
🥂 Avoid pairing different intensity flavors; citrus wine blends well with lemon chicken
🥂 Don’t pair high alcohol content with spice; high-alcohol cinnamon spice is not a good match
🥂 Match earthy foods and wines; balance the intensity, flavor, and alcohol content to complement the pairing
🥂 Desserts and strong wine is a no go; prefer less sweet booze for sugary flavor recipes
Alcohol and Food
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Alcohol is a great ingredient to deliciously improve the aroma, taste, and flavor of the food. It blends with fat to increase the aroma while bonding with sauces to enhance the flavor and taste of the dish. Here’s how to cook liquor with food:
| Alcohol Type | Dishes | How To Use | Things To Avoid |
| Wine | Caramelizing vegetables, sauces, stews | Use white wine for sauces and red wine for stews (slow-cooking) | Cooking wine (excess salt and artificial flavor) |
| Vodka | Pastries, sweets, and pasta sauces | Use little amount for rose pasta sauce or binding pie dough | Excess quantity might be too strong |
| Liqueur | Desserts, sweets, fruity recipes | Soak truffles, cakes, or splash berries or fruit salad | Adding too much might be overpowering |
| Tequila | Marinades, chicken and fish glaze | Splash a little for grilling veggies or mixing with citrus salads | Mixing with richer proteins |
| Gin | Pork, beef brine, chutneys, and preserves | Add in creamier desserts for a rich flavor or blend with fresh jams | The intense flavors don’t blend well with leaner protein |
| Whiskey | Desserts, pork, sauces, chicken glaze | Cook on low heat with lemon, fruits | Cooking on the high flame |
Cooking with alcohol can be difficult if not done right. In fact, too much or too little can change the flavor game of your dish. However, Food52 research has gathered a few tips and ways to make using alcohol for food easy.
Alcohol and Drinks
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There’s more to drinks than just sipping on vodka shots or a red wine glass. A good liquor can deliciously spike your coffee, cocktail, and ales. Yes, juice and cocktails aren’t the only drinks you can make with booze. There are more than enough coffee recipes you can try. Let’s find out some of the best ones out there:
☕ Irish Coffee
Coming on the top of the list is the classic winter drink, the heavenly delicious Irish coffee. It sounds fancy but is easy enough to try at home. A blend of whiskey, sugar, cream, and coffee, the Irish coffee is the perfect spiked drink to sip on for the booze flavor.
Don’t forget to munch on a hot choco souffle to get the best out of the dessert and the coffee.
🥂 Bloody Mary
Unlike the name, it’s not bloody at all. In fact, it is the perfect cocktail to sip on to feel the freshness of citrus or tomato and booze of vodka. A spirit of lemon juice, tomato juice, vodka, and hot sauce, the bloody mary is a must-try drink for all booze and citrus lovers.
Try it with the meatballs, mozzarella sticks, or toasted pita to have a scrumptious meal.
🍸 Ginger Beer Ale
We are discussing the best ones you can try; then, how can we miss the oh-so-tasty and popular ginger beer ale? This popular hit is the best alcohol-infused drink, a mix of vodka, ginger, sparkling water, sugar syrup, and lots of deliciousness. However, choosing the best wine plays a crucial role in elevating the drinking experience. So always pick a familiar taste to try alcohol for making unique drinks.
🍫 Chocolate Martini
Yes, you read it right. There’s a drink out there that includes the sweetness of chocolate and booze of alcohol. When your sweet tooth demands a hint of liquor, the creamy chocolate martini is the best thing to have. A blend of chocolate, vodka, sugary syrup, and cream, this is the ideal treat for a sweet. Have chocolate chips, shaved chocolate, or choco bits to garnish your masterpiece.
It might sound like an off pair, but once you taste the chocolaty booze, it will be your new go-to sweet alcohol treat.
Bottom Line
Having a home bar is the dream of every alcohol lover. And, sipping on the booze all day, every day, is just another that falls on the same list. But, drinking up straight away might be too boring for some, while others may feel intimidated just by the thought of it. For this exact reason, we have mentioned some food and drinks above to try without having that drunken feeling. Surely, after reading this, you’ll have enough things to try to satisfy that boozy palate of yours.
Happy drinking (and eating), clink!
