Here’s What To Cook With Your Leftover Christmas Party Booze
After hosting Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties, you’re probably going to have a lot of alcohol leftover.
At that point, the easy thing to do is drink yourself into oblivion, or you can challenge yourself to use all that alcohol to enhance your cooking.
With help from Barilla executive chef Lorenzo Boni, here are some practical, and useful ways to use all that leftover alcohol.
Champagne and Red Wine
Two new tasting notes up on the blog! Both from Colene Clemens – an exciting producer of Oregon Pinot Noir. Both wines worth checking out. https://t.co/gviVQulRHl pic.twitter.com/ln5b6mRwJq
— Maxwell Allwood (@MaxwellAllwood) December 17, 2017
These are already commonly used as cooking enhancers. Chef Lorenzo said to use the champagne for salmon or oysters, and the red wine for crispy prosciutto and risotto-style pasta with red meat.
“You’ll want to ensure your boozy post-holiday brunch doesn’t taste like a meal soaked in champagne overnight. Instead, reduce the alcohol so it cooks off leaving behind the sweet, acidic or aromatic flavors.”
You can also go the marinade route, pouring that red wine (with garlic) on red meat and leaving it overnight for extra flavor.
Whiskey
Every drop of our holiday spirit comes straight from Lynchburg, Tennessee. #JackDaniels pic.twitter.com/tRvpfkOkAp
— Jack Daniel’s (@JackDaniels_US) December 11, 2017
If you’re familiar with TGI Friday’s Jack Daniels menu, you know how good whiskey can be when applied to food. Chef Lorenzo suggests using your leftover whiskey to add a sweet and smoky flavor to shrimp and a scampi sauce. Combine with linguine for a really good time.
Beer
Glasses clinking and fruitful drinking. Try our award-winning Mango Wheat. pic.twitter.com/x3GNa6qSXf
— Blue Moon Brewing Co (@BlueMoonBrewCo) December 16, 2017
Yes, that leftover beer can be useful since it acts as a natural tenderizer. Chef says it is ideal for stewing meats and making marinades. Keep the dark beer with red meats, and the lighter beers with poultry. Easy peasy.
With the weather cooling a bit, beer can also add “deep, rich flavor” to your soup.
Hard Cider
Now chilling: our newest addition, REDD’S Raspberry Ale. pic.twitter.com/N0Motkp8Tx
— REDD’S® Apple Ale (@ReddsAppleAle) March 24, 2017
It’s damn near unethical to drink flat hard cider, but you can definitely still use it in the kitchen. Cider acts similarly to white wine, and can be used in any recipe that calls for it. Chef Lorenzo suggests using it for mac and cheese, or mushroom dishes. Just make sure the cider doesn’t have added sugar, that’ll just end in disaster.
Rum
The most logical cooking idea here is tiramisu. It’s not the easiest thing to make, but channel your inner Cake Boss, turn on that oven and put that rum to good use. Or just get wasted with it. Whatever. It’s your life.
