Give The Classic Egg Cream A Boozy Spin With A Shot Of Bourbon

Add a shot of bourbon to the classic egg cream and give a childhood favorite a grown-up upgrade. If you've never tried one before, egg creams are a staple of the Jewish-American New York deli scene, a pillar of the Lower East Side soda fountains of yore, and beloved by today's foodies. Chocolate or vanilla syrup is topped with chilled milk or cream in a tall glass, whipped vigorously until frothy, then topped with ice-cold club soda or seltzer. There's no actual egg, but there is a luscious, ultra-foamy head and refreshingly fizzy sweetness that makes this treat a cross between a beverage and a dessert. For a non-dairy version, opt for creamy full-fat oat milk.

Bourbon totes foundational tasting notes of caramel, oak, and vanilla, which are largely imparted during the charred oak barrel aging process. As the bourbon ages, it seeps into the cracks in the barrel and extracts vanillin, the compound responsible for creating vanilla flavor. The touch of sweetness rounds out bourbon's inherent bitterness. Since egg creams are essentially milky sodas, you don't have to worry about manipulating alcohol's low freezing point melting your ice cream, as with adding liquor to other boozy custard treats. Opt for a bourbon that's smooth and sweet rather than oaky-smoky, and bonus points if it's vanilla-centric. Classic New York egg creams come in vanilla or chocolate, and a vanilla-forward bourbon would pair well with either.

To pull off a successful boozy, creamy treat, add the bourbon alongside the chocolate or vanilla syrup, then whip it with the cream and top with seltzer as normal. Start with two tablespoons of bourbon and adjust to taste from there, stirring vigorously and taste-testing after each addition. Your bourbon kick can be as pronounced or nuanced as you like, but keep in mind that any more than five tablespoons per individual glass will dominate the drink's mild profile, and not in a good way.

Since it's going to be mixed into a creamy treat, there's no need to break the bank with your choice of bourbon here. For a more dessert-like spiked egg cream, try Jim Beam Vanilla (a 750ml bottle runs for $19.99 via TotalWine) or Crown Royal Vanilla (which is technically a whisky, but if you're looking for a vanilla-flavored dark spirit it's a solid, bold option at $23.99 via Caskers). Alternatively, for a subtler sweet vanilla taste that lets the bourbon flavor run the show in your egg cream, try Larceny Small Batch ($29.99 via YouBooze) or Hudson Whiskey NY's Bright Lights, Big Bourbon ($39.99 via TotalWine). Although, this spiked egg cream can also be a thrifty way to use up the dregs of any bottle of bourbon waiting in your home liquor cabinet. Pro tip: Bourbons with a higher corn percentage in their mash bill typically present a more vanilla-forward palate.