Your Cranberry Sauce Is Incomplete Without A Splash Of Bourbon

Cranberry sauce is usually reserved for holidays like Thanksgiving, but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyed year-round. No matter when it's eaten, if you're on the side of the argument that insists a homemade version beats the canned variety, then you know a classic recipe includes cranberries, sugar, and sometimes orange juice. However, no cranberry sauce is truly complete without a splash of bourbon.

There are some inventive recipes for cranberry sauce with unique ingredients like ground cumin or orange marmalade — but nothing provides the same range of flavors as bourbon. The booze offers a combination of smoky, spicy, and sweet flavors with varying notes from oak to vanilla that add layers to the overall profile of your homemade sauce. Bourbon can also temper both the tartness of the cranberries and sweetness of the sugar. Note that, depending on the cooking method, varying levels of alcohol from the bourbon will remain in the sauce, especially if the recipe calls for adding it after the cranberries are softened. So you might want to skip the ingredient if you're concerned about consuming any booze.

If you don't have a go-to favorite, start with this savory cranberry sauce recipe and reduce the amount of stock to make up for the alcohol. Any bourbon drinker likely has a preferred brand, but you might want to use a moderately-priced bottle of booze for cooking. The good stuff is meant to be slowly sipped; with this, though, you just want to enhance the flavors of the dish so a pricey choice might go to waste. And if you don't have any knowledge of the booze, here are the best whiskeys to cook with including bourbons.

A little goes a long way; ½ cup of bourbon is enough for 12 servings of cranberry sauce. The easiest method is to combine the fresh berries with the bourbon, sugar, and other ingredients and cook the mixture down until it thickens, which can take up to an hour. Try some additional ingredients in your next cranberry sauce to enhance the flavor of the bourbon. Orange juice and zest will offer fruity acidity to balance the richness of the booze in the pan. Another option is to add a dash of vanilla extract to highlight the notes of vanilla often found in bourbon. A dash of cinnamon or nutmeg will also complement its flavors. You can even combine the orange juice, zest, spices, and vanilla extract with the bourbon and fresh cranberries to pull off a next-level sauce you'll be craving any time of year.