Our annual Guide to Drinking graces the flip side of our September issue, and we’re talking about everything from old-school bourbon to the cider renaissance to St. Louis’ ambitious super sommeliers. But our favorite spirits and brews don’t always have to be sipped from a glass; they also make fantastic additions to our favorite desserts. Here, 8 great recipes for boozy baking with bourbon, tequila, rum and even beer.
1. Niche chef-owner Gerard Craft put a Southern twist on a classic tiramisu for us a few years ago with a generous soak in bourbon.
2. Our first of two bread pudding recipes drizzles sweet, fruit-studded brioche with a sticky maple-whiskey sauce.
3. Already pining for Harvest‘s brioche bread pudding? Cheer up; we’ve got that sweet, boozy cake recipe right here.
4. Bourbon + bacon + brownies = brilliance
5. Tart pomegranate notes mingle with lime, mint and rum in this happy mojito-inspired cupcake. 6. Fair warning: This marjolaine is not for the faint of heart. But the effort you put into this dessert – from the delicate sponge cake to the sweet rum syrup – is well worth the effort.
7. Not much of a baker? Let your ice cream maker do the world with a creamy chocolate and maple-stout beer concoction.
8. Take advantage of the last few blackberries of the season (and that brand-new bottle of tequila) and make a deliciously drunk sorbet.
– tiramisu photo by Carmen Troesser; cupcake photo by Jonathan S. Pollack; ice cream photo by Laura Miller
This article appears in September 2014.