When Eating Alcohol is as Good as Drinking It
When Eating Alcohol is as Good as Drinking It
For even the seasoned drinker, alcohol served as food rather than a beverage may be a novel idea. Now it’s not that unusual or unheard of to eat alcohol infused food. During the festive season, the first thing that comes to mind is the brandy infused Christmas cake, and many of the homemade varieties send us all to bed slightly more than just a little light headed.
As tastes and creativity in the food industry evolve, we are going to find a lot of new and very novel ways to consume alcohol. Some may even argue that it’s safer to consume alcohol as a food, simply because the digestive process takes longer and therefore absorption is slower, but expulsion by the body is still at the same rate as if the alcohol entered as a fluid.
Ice Cream
Who said that eating dessert first is wrong? Over the last few years, ice cream flavoured with craft beers have become popular, and they’re the real thing! A few short years ago not many dreamed that age verification would be necessary when purchasing ice cream. However, the day has dawned, and you can now buy your favourite craft beer in that ever popular iced format. While alcohol flavoured ice cream first popped up in the United States, it’s easy enough to find in London; you simply got to know where to find it. Start with Lushice, available from partridges as well as Bayley and Sage in London and Ocado for delivery Nationwide. Boasting your favourite cocktail flavours, Strawberry Daiquiri, Pina Colada, Mojito and Marguerita, these may just make consuming alcohol in a public place legal…. Ruby Violet in Tufnell Park is slowly developing fame for their Campari Sorbet, so don’t miss this on a warm day.
Sauces and Marinades
Very few people have not eaten food cooked in or infused with alcohol at some point in their lives. Beers and red wines are exceptionally popular for blending in with sauce ingredients to create a marinade with a kick. White wines are very popular in the actual cooking process particularly with seafood such as mussels and prawns.
The effect of alcohol in food is often underestimated and you can now get Pizza with alcohol infused ingredients. This is a pretty classy idea because the carb base builds up your glycogen stores – something for which alcohol is famous for breaking down, while still giving you that aroma, taste and kick that a great alcoholic experience brings.
Salsa, is it a salad or is it a sauce? That may depend on who you’re asking. There are a plethora of easy recipes to be found online that will guide you through the techniques of making a tequila infused salsa. Perfect for a spicy alternative to the straight item.
Snacks
Do you ever delve into the depths of your kitchen cupboard for a childhood favourite? Bourbon peanut butter may well become one of your favourites, as this is a homemade recipe so you can control the strength of this indulgence. Peanut butter sandwiches for adults only. Of course, there’s a lot more that you can do with peanut butter than merely a simple sandwich, but we’ll leave it up to your imagination. Rum infused fruit balls are also immensely popular, in fact, you can infuse any spirit into fruit balls made from melons, apples and pineapples. Simply choose your favourite tipple and go ahead.
While desserts such as trifles and fruit mince puddings may be a popular table serving of booze in your dinner, don’t forget to try some rummy bears. These are great as a conversation starter and easy to create. Simply soak your generic gummy bears in rum, vodka, tequila or almost any other spirit of your choice from eight hours to two – depending on the strength desired and voila, you can enjoy your childhood again playing by the adult rules.
It’s everywhere
Whether your favourite foods are cookies, cakes, puddings or the more savoury vegetables and meat dishes, opportunities to consume alcohol as a food abound and the boundaries of your imagination are your only real limitation. Jellies, doughnuts, apple pies and even chicken and marmalade spreads don’t get away from the creative chef. Even milkshakes and lollipops have not escaped the alcohol experimentation of late. Granny, who needs her food prepared soft, of course, can enjoy her gazpacho with more than a little hint of alcohol. It makes one question whether the laws that require food to be served to allow children into a licenced establishment are still all that relevant.
