This festive season, tables will be spilling over with cranberry-flavoured cocktails, hot-buttered rum and toddies, and traditional winter fare that warms both, the hearth and heart. But, what if you took a spirited detour from the bar, and actually cooked with spirits? From adding dark rum to chicken wings to creating a sumptuous vodka sauce for tiramisu, crème caramel or chocolate tart, we have got you covered. We ask chefs and home bakers for tips and recipes that will make your festive spread top-notch.
Less is more
Tim Philips, global brand ambassador, Johnnie Walker
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First things first, cooking with spirits depends on how the liquid is used. Is it cooked, baked or added to chilled desserts sans cooking. MasterChefIndia finalist and founder of House of Millets, a millet forward catering company, Natasha Gandhi, explains, “When alcohol is used in cooking, such as in a marinade, the heat causes it to evaporate, leaving behind the delicious aromas and flavours. This means you will not experience any intoxicating effects from consuming the dish. Using alcohol to marinate proteins, is an age-old culinary technique that helps bring out a full-bodied taste.”
From using a 30ml shot of bourbon or whisky in a marinade for chicken wings, or to preparing a leg of lamb, the smoky notes of the spirit, when cooked, impart woody, smoky notes to the protein. Tim Philips, global brand ambassador, Johnnie Walker, says blended Scotch can work wonders in winter menus, “Johnnie Walker Black Label’s rich, smoky character works beautifully in savoury dishes, like whisky-glazed ribs, braised short ribs, or even whisky-infused sauces for roasted meats. It also pairs wonderfully with desserts like dark chocolate torte or a whisky caramel bread pudding.”
Vijar Sekhar of 23rd Street Pizza
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For truly decadent, spirit-forward festive dishes, chef Vijay Sekhar from 23rd Street Pizza, a popular New York-style pizza and wine bar in Bengaluru suggests, “If you choose clear spirits, like gin, vodka and tequila they don’t impart too much flavour but dark rum, bourbon or cognac impart richer notes. We use vodka in our pasta sauce to add a cleaner taste, instead of imparting flavour directly into it. But in a tiramisu, the dark rum (used in the espresso soak for the ladyfinger biscuits) adds flavour, body and pairs so well with the coffee.”
His general note of caution on cooking with spirits: “Less is more, otherwise the flavours of alcohol can overpower the dish.” The chef also suggests using complementary flavours, adding, “for a tiramisu you could use Grand Marnier (made from a blend of cognac brandy, distilled essence of bitter orange, and sugar) since coffee and orange go so well or even a splash of Cointreau (colourless French triple sec orange liqueur). Hazelnut-coffee is a good combination so a hazelnut liqueur would go well too.”
For savoury sauces, he suggests wine. “If you want to use wine in your sauces, choose a good red wine for the base of a sauce for lamb or dark meat protein, or adding white wine to a bechamel (white sauce) works.”
Spirits in soaks
Lolita Sarkar, founder, Unusual Spirits, Goa, has used Limoncello 24 to soak the ladyfinger biscuits for a lemon tiramisu recipe as well as the Goa Dark, a dark spiced rum liqueur, to generously soak Christmas cake and create a decadent German Herrencreme, served with strawberries. She also delights in the more savoury applications of the gondhoraj notes in her Limoncello. “You could try a nice grilled chilli and kafir lime prawn, with a thick coconut milk and Limoncello 24 sauce, which provides a balance of tang and spice. Also a burrata with basil and garlic with a drizzle of limoncello works great!,” she says.
For Anurag Gupta, mixologist at Smoke Lab Vodka, premium Indian vodka brand, using the flavoured avatars of the spirits, especially aniseed and saffron is an ideal foil to enhance festive flavours. “To complement the winter cocktails, flavoured vodkas can be incorporated into desserts that feel indulgent, modern, and festive, while staying true to Indian palates,” he explains.
Anurag Gupta, Smoke Lab Mixologist, creates spirited desserts for the festive season
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For an aniseed tiramisu, fold Smoke Lab Aniseed Vodka into the coffee mixture or the mascarpone cream to add a gentle spiced liquorice note. Using saffron vodka, a saffron milk cake can transform into a luxe festive dessert that adds a small measure of saffron vodka into the warm milk soak or drizzle on top of the cake before serving.
Tanisha Bhatia, mixologist, Simba Beer and ZigZag vodka — both launched by Saltborn (a company with interests in spirits, education and fintech) —likes giving popular Indian flavours a modern twist. So her vibrant reworking of traditional rasgullas, take the beloved sweet to the next level by adding vodka blends to the soak — think a lychee citrus soak that incorporates 360-ml vodka with 120-ml lychee juice and a few drops of orange essence to 500 grams of rasgullas, or an orange blossom soak that uses rose water (60ml) with 360-ml orange vodka and eight-to-10 drops of orange essence for half a kilogram of rasgullas.
Spiced hot chocolate toddy by Tulleeho
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Spiced hot chocolate toddy
Ingredients
45ml Dark rum
20 ml chocolate sauce or syrup
10 ml cinnamon syrup
120 to 150 ml warm milk infused with saffron, milk foam. Chocolate (dark or milk) shavings for garnish
Method
Gently warm the milk in a saucepan with a pinch of saffron threads, until fragrant.
In a heatproof mug, add dark rum, chocolate sauce, and cinnamon syrup.
Pour in the warm saffron milk and stir until the chocolate is fully dissolved.
Froth a small portion of the remaining saffron milk to create foam.
Spoon the warm foam over the drink.
Garnish and serve.
Recipeby Tulleeho, that specialises in beverage consultancy and spirits education
Finally, however you choose to cook with spirits, whether sweet or savoury, in a marinade or soak, the key is being thoughtful about complementary flavours, exact measurements and pairing cocktails that enhance these spirit forward dishes.
Rum-smoked Kashmiri chili lamb chops (Serves three to four pax)
Ingredients
For the Marinade:
Six lamb chops
Two tablespoons of Kashmiri chili paste
One tablespoon ginger–garlic paste
One tablespoon hung curd
One tablespoon mustard oil
One teaspoon garam masala
One teaspoon black pepper
One teaspoon honey
One teaspoon apple cider vinegar
30-ml rum (Old Monk)
salt to taste
For the rum reduction glaze:
50ml dark rum
One tablespoon brown sugar
One tablespoon butter
One teaspoon soy sauce
One-two dried red chilies
A pinch of salt
Method
Marinate the chops: Mix all marinade ingredients, including the rum. Coat the chops thoroughly and refrigerate for two–four hours.
Cook the lamb: Sear on a hot grill pan or tandoor until lightly charred. Transfer to a 180°C oven for six–eight minutes, depending on thickness.
Prepare the rum reduction: Simmer rum with brown sugar, soy, butter, and dried chilies until it thickens into a shiny glaze.
Smoke the chops: Place a small lit charcoal piece in a bowl, add a little ghee to generate smoke, set it inside the tray with the cooked lamb, and cover for two–three minutes.
Glaze and finish: Brush the lamb generously with the rum glaze and give it a final kiss of flame or blowtorch.
Recipeby Vedant Newatia, founder and head chef, Atelier V & Masala Code, Indore
Goa Dark Herrencream, at Hello SunShine Goa. Photo_ Rishabh Khemsra_
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Goa dark herrencreme
Ingredients
500-ml milk (divided into two cups)
Two egg yolks
Four tablespoons of cornstarch
Half-cup sugar
Two teaspoons of vanilla extract
Two teaspoon sugar
Three-fourth cup
Two tablespoons heavy cream
120 ml Goa Dark spiced rum liqueur
100-gram dark chocolate
Method
In a small bowl, combine 100-ml milk with egg yolks and corn starch.
Whisk until smooth.
Set aside.
In a medium saucepan combine the other 400-ml milk with sugar and vanilla mix.
Heat over medium, stir to dissolve the sugar crystals. Increase the heat a bit to bring the milk to a boil.
When it starts to boil, remove from the heat.
While whisking, add the milk-egg mixture.
Return to the heat, and whisk until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil.
Remove from the heat immediately, and pour into the medium bowl that you set nearby earlier. Stir in the rum.
Cover the cooked pudding with plastic wrap, press down a bit to prevent pudding skin.
Set in the refrigerator to cool.
Whip cream into stiff peaks.
Fold the whipped cream, and around three-fourth dark chocolate shavings into the pudding once cooled.
Set into the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Feel free to top with strawberries and raspberries.
RecipebyLolita Sarkar, Founder, Unusual Spirits
Quaffine Matilda Cake
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Quaffine Matilda cake (Serves four)
Ingredients
For cake:
100-gm dark chocolate
100-gm butter
Two eggs
Two yolks
75-gm caster sugar
Two-tablespoon flour
A pinch of salt
For sauce:
150-ml milk
50-ml Quaffine liqueur
50-gm dark chocolate
One tablespoon cocoa
Two tablespoons sugar
Method
Melt chocolate and butter
Whisk with eggs and sugar (ribbon stage)
Fold in flour
Fill greased ramekins two-third full.
Bake 200°C, 10-12 min (edges set, centre jiggly).
Invert onto plates.
Simmer milk, whisk in chocolate, cocoa, sugar, Quaffine for glossy sauce.
Pour over cakes; serve with ice cream.
Recipe by Disha Sethi, home baker, Noida
Vodka chocolate tart
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Masala choco vodka tart
Ingredients
For crust:
1.5 cups crushed digestive biscuits
Six tablespoons of melted butter
sugar to taste
Masala chocolate filling:
One cup heavy cream
200-gm dark chocolate chopped
Two tablespoons vodka
One-and-a-half teaspoon chai masala/garam masala
One tablespoon butter
pinch of salt
Method
To make the crust, mix crushed biscuits, melted butter (and sugar if using). Press into a tart pan.
Chill 15–20 minutes (or bake for eight minutes at 170°C for a firmer shell).
To make spiced chocolate filling, heat cream until just simmering.
Pour over chopped chocolate; let sit for a minute.
Stir until smooth.
Add vodka, masala, salt, and butter, mixing until glossy. To assemble pour filling into the chilled crust and refrigerate two–three hours until set.
Garnish with cocoa powder, shaved chocolate, or a pinch of masala.
Recipe by Tanisha Bhatia, mixologist, ZigZag vodka
