Spicy Bourbon Maple Syrup

Spicy bourbon maple syrup is the condiment to beat all condiments. A sticky, spicy, sweet sauce that’s been amped up with bourbon is an adults-only dream come true. Originally made to drizzle over chicken and waffles, it’s actually perfect for all sorts of savory dishes that could use a little bit of glitz.

Chicken and waffles are already pretty darn splendid. But if you’ve been waiting all day for a spectacular plateful of crispy, doughy, chicken delight, only to dump a bucket of sickly-sweet brown syrup all over it, then you’re missing the point. Let us show you the way to syrup heaven.–Jenny Latreille

Spicy Bourbon Maple Syrup

4.67 / 6 votes

I drenched my first attempt at chicken and waffles in pure maple syrup, and it was…an unmitigated disaster. Nothing but sweet stickiness. That’s when I reached for the bourbon. And a little cayenne and hot sauce lent the maple sweetness some depth and balance

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CourseCondiments

CuisineAmerican

Servings6 servings

Calories198 kcal

Prep Time5 minutes minutes

Cook Time5 minutes minutes

Total Time10 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

USMetric

• ▢ 1 cup pure maple syrup
• ▢ 3 tablespoons bourbon*
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (1 oz) salted butter
• ▢ 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions 

• In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the maple syrup, bourbon, and butter just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
• Stir in the cayenne pepper and remove from the heat. Serve warm, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Notes

*What can I substitute for bourbon?

There’s an entire family of alcohol that’s closely related (unless you’re an aficionado of one in particular and then all bets are off). Bourbon can only be called bourbon if it’s been made in the USA and is at least 51% corn mash. In Canada, the very same thing is called whiskey (also called rye or rye whiskey but it’s still mostly corn). Scotch is in the same family, except that it’s mostly barley and the casks are older. So…you can sub in whiskey, whisky, Scotch, or even a light rum and get a great result. Use what you like to drink and you can’t go wrong.

An LC Original

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Nutrition

Serving: 3 tablespoonsCalories: 198 kcalCarbohydrates: 36 gProtein: 1 gFat: 4 gSaturated Fat: 3 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 11 mgSodium: 40 mgPotassium: 124 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 32 gVitamin A: 158 IUVitamin C: 1 mgCalcium: 60 mgIron: 1 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Originally published May 8, 2021