Bourbon

A classic whiskey cocktail made with bourbon and mint is even more fragrant when you flavor your simple syrup.

A classic Southern cake, after winning first prize at the county fair in Columbus, Georgia, Lane Cake also earned the name “Prize Cake.” 

The Manhattan is a classic cocktail made with whiskey and sweet vermouth.

Though this pâté can be eaten the day it's made, we find it even more flavorful when made one or two days ahead. If you use several small ramekins instead of a pâté crock or terrine, you may need more clarified butter to seal the tops.

Filled with rich bourbon notes and glazed with rosemary, brown sugar, mustard, and bourbon, this festive ham makes for a delicious and stunning holiday centerpiece.

When I was growing up in Louisiana, fall meant pecans littering the ground from the stately trees in our suburban neighborhood. On walks home from the bus stop, we would dip into various neighbors’ backyards and gather as many pecans as would fit in our pockets and backpacks. My favorite thing to do once all the nuts had been shelled (by hand!) was to make pecan pie. This recipe uses cane syrup, which adds a more complex sweetness than corn syrup. Plus, by toasting the pecans, you bring out the .…

Buttery brown sugar caramel flavors this ice cream, with an added boost from bourbon.

Enjoy your bourbon enhanced with a touch of chocolate and sweet-and-savory spice notes. This cocktail is great with barbecue.

Is there a better combo than a peach, a porch, and some port-finish bourbon? In this whiskey sour riff, an easy vanilla-honey syrup compliments the flavor of the whiskey and peach nectar.

This light and modern take on the espresso and tonic is layered in the glass.

This bourbon cocktail brings warming spices into a crisp cooler. For the cinnamon apple spice tea, steep one cinnamon apple spice tea bag (such as Celestial Seasonings) in six ounces hot water for 2 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before using.

Strawberries shine in this tall, refreshing, gingery cocktail, made with bourbon, fresh lemon, muddled berries, and spicy ginger beer.

This easy-to-make cocktail was one of the earlier drinks I created for the bar menu at our Brentwood restaurant, Tavern. It is made with a honey syrup infused with fresh ginger and chiles de árbol, so you get those flavors and that heat in the cocktail. I added grapefruit to make it tangy.

Warm up with this concoction of bourbon, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. It’s not a Southern classic, but it certainly drinks like one.

In this cocktail, Riesling (Marrero favors dry Rieslings from the Finger Lakes or Alsace) adds brightness to a mix of fresh apple cider and bourbon. Blending dried figs with honey syrup gives you a sweetener that’s full of earthy, nutty notes, and a small amount of floral liqueur gives the tart, refreshing drink a subtle luscious quality.

Apple butter is a brilliant shortcut to a robustly flavored fall cocktail. Spiced with cinnamon and sometimes ginger, nutmeg, or clove, it brings in every essential autumn note in a teaspoon or two.

This golden-hued turmeric hot toddy from Claire Sprouse of Brooklyn’s Hunky Dory is wonderfully savory from the combination of nutty Amontillado sherry and earthy turmeric.

Honey-bourbon syrup is the star of this baklava. Serve it with fresh cherries and vanilla ice cream for a decadent summer dessert.

No ice cream machine needed for this boozy summer treat.

We can think of lots of uses for the bourbon sugar that coats these pretzel-studded bites: use it to top crème brûlée, stir it into your afternoon tea, or sprinkle it over berries and serve with whipped cream for an easy dessert.

The caramelized flavor of bourbon and the tang of sour cream add balance to the rich, spiced filling of this cheesecake. Chopped pecans add a nutty dimension to the graham cracker crust.

This pie is both sweet and salty, which is my favorite dessert combination. The smoky bacon, mingling with the spiced apples and bourbon crust, is heavenly.

Adding bourbon and Campari to cherry cola makes for a sweet, spicy, and refreshing backyard drink.

Skip the same old boring barbecue sauce and opt for a sticky malt vinegar, bourbon, and maple syrup glaze to slick up these boiled-and-baked pork ribs.