The Best Brunch Features A Bourbon-Infused Touch

A splash of booze is often a welcome addition to brunch, whether it's in a sparkling mimosa made with Champagne or cava or a spicy bloody Mary. But to really elevate the experience, try adding a little alcohol to your food, too. Bourbon maple syrup is a great way to give your brunch dishes a boozy boost, and it's so easy to make.

Homemade bourbon syrup only requires a few ingredients: 100% pure maple syrup, bourbon, butter, and salt. The process involves heating a cup of syrup in a pan, stirring in a tablespoon of butter, adding a couple of tablespoons of your whiskey, and letting the mixture boil briefly. Including more bourbon will give the syrup an extra kick, and adding a pinch of salt will help to balance the sweet-savory flavor.

This flavorful syrup works beautifully drizzled over fluffy pancakes, crispy chicken and waffles, or French toast. You could also use it to glaze breakfast meats — maple syrup goes great with bacon, and using a whiskey-infused version to coat the savory strips is even more special. Try serving the syrup with mixed berries on top of whipped cream or Greek yogurt for a sweeter side dish. Or, you could even pour the syrup into your coffee for a sweet yet punchy brunch time beverage.

To experiment with more complex flavor profiles — think spicy, zesty, or smoky — just add a few additional ingredients to your maple syrup for a deliciously different result. Bourbon often has rich sweet notes of vanilla, and it's easy to boost this with some vanilla extract and a touch of fresh lemon juice for brightness. Aromatic orange also pairs perfectly with the caramel-forward whiskey. Just simmer freshly-squeezed juice with the bourbon and syrup in a pan, then melt the butter in. Either of these fragrant syrups would take brunch dishes like crepes or even cinnamon rolls to the next level.

If you prefer heat to sweet, then spice up your bourbon maple syrup. Add up to ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper for each cup of syrup, and stir it into the simmering mixture once the butter has melted. Or, to really amp up the taste, try smoking the maple syrup. Use a disposable aluminum foil pan to smoke the syrup for an hour in your smoker, and then mix it with the bourbon. To intensify the flavor further, reduce the whiskey in a pan before combining it with the syrup. 

Lastly, remember that you can skip the top shelf when cooking with whiskey, so don't feel you need to splash out on something pricey. Just choose a bottle you like the taste of, with a flavor profile which complements the type of maple syrup you're using.