What Is Bourbon and How Can I Use It?

Wondering what to do with bourbon? This guide covers how to pick it, cook it, store it, and swap it — with 58 recipes to put it to work.

Nutrition

Food group

Bourbon is a member of the Beverages US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

How much does bourbon weigh?

Related

Beverages

Recipes using bourbon

There are 58 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Jean's Bourbon Ice Cream

Bourbon ice cream with sweetened condensed milk and half-and-half churns into a rich Southern-style dessert with warm whiskey notes. A grown-up frozen treat that pours straight from the freezer into the bowl.

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Wild Mushroom & Bourbon Sauce

Tender lemon-rosemary chicken meets an earthy wild mushroom sauce spiked with bourbon, creating layers of savory depth perfect for elegant dinners.

Caramel Croissant Pudding

Use up your stale croissant to make this delicious pudding!

Pork Chops & Sugar Snap Peas with Mint Julep Glaze

Delicious pork chops are seared in a hot skillet, sugar snap peas are cooked in a flavorful broth, which makes this one-skillet meal that's quick, easy to prepare and perfect for a week day dinner.

Chocolate-Bourbon Bites

A boozy twist on traditional holiday treats, featuring a rich blend of chocolate, bourbon, and nuts, making them a cherished family favorite during Christmas.

Cranberry Orange Chutney

Cranberry orange chutney with bourbon, mustard seeds, and brown sugar simmers into a sweet-tart relish with a smoky kick. The perfect Thanksgiving condiment that runs circles around the canned jellied stuff.

Best Honey Crunch Pecan Pie

Honey crunch pecan pie: classic pecan pie with a bourbon-laced custard filling topped with caramelized honey-pecan brittle. Two-stage pie that turns Thanksgiving pecan into a showstopper.

Chocolate Bourbon or Rum Balls

No-bake chocolate bourbon balls with crushed vanilla wafers, toasty pecans, and a generous splash of bourbon. Roll 'em in powdered sugar for holiday gifting or sneaky snacking.

Crisp Roasted Pig's Head

Crisp roasted pig's head, Chinese-style: rubbed with five-spice, brown bean sauce and bourbon, then slow-roasted and basted with honey until the skin lacquers into shattering crackling.

Mississippi Delta Eggnog

Old-fashioned Southern bourbon eggnog with whipped cream, beaten egg whites, and fresh nutmeg. Five ingredients, no cooking, and pure Mississippi Delta holiday tradition.

Stuffed Burgers

Double-patty stuffed burgers filled with onion, bacon, dill relish, Worcestershire, and a splash of bourbon. Juicy, loaded, and built for the grill.

Joe's Soak Sauce

Note: The sauce can be used to marinate chicken, pork, ribs, or a meaty fish such as swordfish before grilling.

Pecan Crusted Venison with Bourbon Mash

Pecan-crusted venison medallions seared medium rare, served over bourbon sweet potato mash with Creole mustard and roasted pecans. A Southern-meets-game-night showstopper.

Walnut Stuffed Pheasant

Roasted pheasant stuffed with bourbon-butter walnuts and seedless grapes. A rustic wild game dish with herbaceous thyme and sweet, juicy fruit in every carved slice.

Drunken Spareribs

Bourbon-spiked ribs get lacquered with a sweet and tangy glaze of soy sauce, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard, then roasted until the edges turn crispy and caramelized for finger-licking good barbecue flavor.

Chinese Roast Pork

Chinese roast pork from lean tenderloin marinated in soy, bourbon, garlic, and ginger, then broiled and basted until glazed and caramelized. A quick, sweet-savory take on char siu, gluten-free with tamari.

Grillel Chicken Breasts with Wild Mushroom & Bourbon Sauce

Grillel Chicken Breasts with Wild Mushroom & Bourbon Sauce recipe

Favorite Pumpkin Pie

Bourbon pumpkin pie with a broiled pecan praline topping and apricot glaze on the crust. This showstopper Thanksgiving dessert layers three distinct textures in one unforgettable slice.

Favorite Pumpkin Pie

Bourbon pumpkin pie with a broiled pecan praline topping and apricot glaze on the crust. This showstopper Thanksgiving dessert layers three distinct textures in one unforgettable slice.

Family's Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

I made this chocolate chip pecan pie with a homemade buttery and flakey pie crust. When it hit the dinner table, it vanished within a flash, so the pie must be good then :)

Best Christmas Egg Nog

Christmas eggnog from scratch with bourbon, brandy, heavy cream, milk, and vanilla ice cream folded in for body. A big-batch holiday party punch finished with grated nutmeg.

Very Best Monkeyed-Up Lobster Dish

Butter-tossed lobster tails in a bourbon and white wine cream sauce with sauteed shallots and morel mushrooms, plus bonus tomalley croustades with Gruyere.

Creamy Chocolate & Orange Bread Pudding

Chocolate, orange and cream create this delicious and moist bread pudding that has been popular all year round at our place!

Lizzies

Lizzies are bourbon-soaked fruitcake cookies with golden raisins, candied cherries, citron, and pecans. A classic Southern holiday cookie that freezes beautifully.

Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon Sauce

Pork tenderloin marinated overnight in bourbon, soy sauce, Worcestershire, honey, and Dijon mustard with tomatoes and green chiles. Broiled and sauced.

All 58 recipes