How to Make a Whisky Sauce
From the sizzle of the BBQ to the smell of a home filled with cooking, there’s nothing quite like a feast for the senses. And food only ever tastes better when paired with the perfect drink.
Despite its sometimes-strong taste, whisky is widely considered to be a great accompaniment to many a dish, with the variety of smoky, peaty and honeyed flavours enhancing the profile of different sweet and savoury dishes. But imagine if you could have that evocative flavour as more than just a sip on the side? What if it was all fused together, bringing out new notes, fresh flavours and subtle seasonings? What if… you made a whisky sauce?
Whether you invite everyone round to partake in your speciality or you turn the phone off and whip up a wonderful treat for one, learn how to make sauce using your favourite whisky.
Whisky sauce has become popular around the world, but it originated with Scottish cooking. While it might sound like it’s a case of pouring whisky over your favourite dishes, there’s a bit more to it than that.
Whisky sauce is made by setting whisky alight in a saucepan and typically adding in a pouring of double cream – this is why it’s sometimes referred to as a whisky cream sauce. It’s then reduced, so it can thicken, and that’s when your choice of seasoning is added.
The typical whisky sauce ingredients you’ll need include:
Butter
Oil
Chopped onions or shallots
Beef or chicken stock (optional)
Heavy cream
Dijon or wholegrain mustard (optional)
Salt
Black pepper
Your choice of whisky
As you get more familiar with the process, you can begin experimenting with different ingredients – particularly adding things like garlic, spices and other seasonings that might work well with your chosen whisky.
Whisky cream sauce recipe – the basic steps
Like with any cooking, making your own whisky sauce will benefit from trial and error. But to get you started, follow this easy recipe.
First, heat the butter and oil in a pan over a medium heat until the butter starts to foam.
Next, add in your onions or shallots and fry for roughly eight minutes, or until they soften.
Now comes the whisky. Add around 100ml of your chosen whisky and simmer until absorbed by the onions or shallots, and almost evaporated.
Next, pour in the stock and simmer for around five to ten minutes. The mixture should reduce by around a half.
Then, stir in the cream and simmer for another five minutes until thickened slightly.
Season with salt and taste the sauce.
It’s important to stick to responsible measures - and this will also keep the flavours balanced and complementary. However, you can vary the measurements depending on your preference. Reduce the recommended measure to begin with and do a taste test until you find your perfect blend. You can slowly increase it until you reach the recommended threshold of 100ml. Further, if you prefer a richer sauce – something to go with a very rare cut of steak, for example – you can choose to make the whisky sauce without the stock. And remember, whisky sauce is to be enjoyed by adults only!
The final word
Now you can get yourself to the kitchen and cook up a storm. Prefer to drink your whisky rather than cook it? No problem. You'll enjoy our guide to the best whisky cocktails ever.
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