The Shared Sip

Cacio e Pepe Popcorn + Sbagliato

10.22.16

Two years ago, I spent what may well have been the best two weeks of my life in Italy with my two sisters—jumping from city to city, seeing allllll the sights, and of course eating and drinking everything. While we had many amazing meals, the cacio e pepe that I had in Rome was the highlight. Creamy butter, nutty parmesan, and the perfect amount of fresh ground pepper. A gift from the heavens, if you ask me.

So cacio e pepe popcorn? No brainer. I saw this gem tucked away in the back of Small Victories (which I’m cooking from all month!) under the heading “Seven Easy-but-Memorable Bites to Have with Drinks”—clearly the section intended solely for me—and within minutes I was snacking away.

What I love most about this recipe (and truly, so much of this book in general) is that you probably have the ingredients on hand. I almost always have freshly-grated parmesan in my fridge, and butter? Do you know me at all? I will never be without butter. I think it was part of my marriage vows.

Three ingredients. That’s it. You could certainly pop your own popcorn over the stove, but honestly I threw a plain ol’ bag of popcorn in the microwave and used that. Be sure to butter and pepper your popcorn as soon as you remove it from the heat or microwave so that it sticks to the kernels. Otherwise you end up with parm and pepper at the bottom of the bowl and you’ll be forced to grab a spoon and lap it up. I mean…throw it out. Ya, that.

I paired the popcorn with an Italian cocktail, the Sbagliato (pronounced, from what I can tell, spah-li-ah-to)—the lovechild of an Italian spritz and a negroni. Sbagliato actually means mistake in Italian; legend is, a bartender was making a negroni and accidentally added Prosecco instead of gin—but the customer insisted on trying it and loved it even more than his old negroni. And the sbagliato was born!

I like this cocktail because it adds a little sweetness that you don’t get with a traditional negroni. It worked well with the cacio e pepe because it adds a little bitterness and sweetness to the savory snack. I went a little heavier on the Prosecco and lighter on the vermouth and Campari to keep it light and easy to sip.

So fire up the Netflix, cozy up under a blanket, make yourself a cocktail and gather ’round a big ol’ bowl of cacio e pepe popcorn. Happy Friday!

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Cacio e Pepe Popcorn
adapted from Small Victories; serves 2-4 people

1 bag of microwave popcorn
1/3 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
fresh ground pepper

Assembly
Pop the popcorn to package instructions. While still hot, transfer to a large bowl and immediately add parmesan and as much cracked pepper as you like—I used about 3/4 tsp. Mix well and serve immediately.

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The Sbagliato
makes 1 cocktail; build each individually

.5 oz sweet vermouth
.5 oz Campari
Prosecco or sparkling wine—I prefer a drier, less sweet variation

Assembly
Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add vermouth and Campari and then top with the Prosecco or sparkling wine. Mix and enjoy!

Gin / mezcal / vermouth

Shaved Carrot Salad + The White Stag

10.13.16

After only a few weeks back to blogging, I found myself at a bit of a crossroads: I was incredibly happy to be behind my camera again, playing with props and dreaming up new cocktails; but I was also feeling a little antsy and a little uninspired. It felt a bit like Groundhog Day: make new cocktail, photograph new cocktail; post new cocktail. I started to feel like I was going through the motions for the sake of it.

So, I took a step back. I made a list of the reasons I started blogging in the first place: to learn more about photography, to explore the ins-and-outs of food styling, to write from my heart. To be honest, cocktails were really just my subject matter; they were never the end game. I don’t aspire to know the mechanics of distilling or the intricate differences between vermouth and punt e mes. All I really want is to inspire and be inspired.

So I stopped with my self-imposed rules. Who said I have to make cocktails and cocktails only? I had ventured into the food realm before and found it so rewarding. To test out recipes I had bookmarked and to play with props beyond coupes and juicers—that felt good. I wanted more of that.

While Amazon-wishlisting the many incredible fall book releases, an idea came to me—cookbooks! Of course. I probably have over 50 of them in my to-buy queue. And even though so much of my world is digital, there is something about holding a beautiful book in your hands and creating something delicious from it.

And so the idea was born: choose a cookbook each month, pick a handful of my favorite recipes, and dream up some delicious cocktails to go with them. Heck yes!

For my first selection, I chose Small Victories by Julia Turshen. If you don’t know Julia, she’s a recipe developer for the stars, sort of—working with the likes of Gwenyth and Mario Batali (no big deal)—as well as an accomplished chef in her own right. She just wrote a cookbook of her own, which immediately stood out to me because of its accessible subject matter: simple recipes we can master in our home kitchens. Think: a tried-and-true lasagna, versatile dressings you can keep on hand, and appetizers suited for Sunday nights and dinner parties alike. I was sold.

The first recipe I chose was Julia’s Carrot + Tahini salad, which feels fresh enough for the warm days of our Indian summer and autumnal enough for the early days of October.

With it, I paired one of my favorite cocktails, The White Stag, which I sipped at Penrose in Oakland quite some time ago. I begged the bartender to give me the full recipe and he kindly scribbled it on a scrap of paper for me, sending me off with luck and well wishes.

The drink is only slightly sweet and a little savory from the celery which I think goes well with the tahini. I love the smokiness of the mezcal as well—be sure not to skip it.

I hope you’ll explore Small Victories with me! It’s only $20 on Amazon. Seriously. Can’t wait to share my next pick from the book with you.

Cheers—and bon appetit, too.

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Shaved Carrot Salad with Tahini
adapted from Small Victories by Julia Turshen

1 generous tbsp tahini
2 tbsp hot water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch of carrots, shaved or thinly sliced into coins
1 avocado, sliced
handful of roasted nuts—pine nuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds work well
2 scallions, diced

Assembly
Combine first five ingredients and shake well to combine. Plate each salad individually, starting with carrots followed by avocado, nuts and scallions. Drizzle each salad with dressing. Serve and enjoy!

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The White Stag
makes two cocktails

.25 oz absinthe
1.5 oz gin
1.5 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz mezcal
1 oz dry vermouth (Dolin Blanc recommended)
1 oz simple syrup
2 celery stalks, ends removed and chopped into chunks

Assembly
Rinse two coupe glasses with absinthe; toss (or better—drink!) any remaining. Set aside. Add celery to a shaker and muddle well, 20-30 seconds. Add all other ingredients to the shaker with ice and shake until very cold, about 20 seconds. Double strain into the coupe glasses.

Campari / Gin

Strawberry Balsamic Negroni

09.27.16

September 21st signaled the beginning of fall—but the thing is, summer isn’t ready to hit the road just yet. Temperatures soared over triple digits up north this past weekend, and strawberries, not pumpkins, lined the baskets at my local produce stand. I went in search of something seasonal to dream up a new cocktail with—and strawberries it was.

Whiskey seemed too heavy for the heat, and in the spring I created a bourbon-strawberry cocktail anyhow. Gin seemed like the perfect pairing, and in hopes of creating a variation of the negroni I actually enjoyed, I went to work with my berries.

I skipped the vermouth integral to a classic negroni and instead used the sweetness of the strawberry and tartness of balsamic vinegar to create a similar flavor profile. I could have probably let them soak in the vinegar for an hour or two to the same effect, but instead roasted them for just a few minutes over low heat.

The result is a vaguely sweet but still largely bitter cocktail—Campari can’t be overshadowed by much, so it retains its bite. It felt like the perfect sip for a hot summer day just teetering on the heels of fall.

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Strawberry-Balsamic Negroni
makes 2 cocktails

2 oz gin
2 oz Campari
2 oz strawberry-balsamic syrup (recipe follows)

Assembly
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir rapidly until cold and slightly diluted, about 15 seconds. Double strain into two rocks glass filled with fresh ice. No garnish necessary.

Strawberry-balsamic syrup

2 cups of fresh strawberries, quartered
3 tbsp balsamic
2 tbsp sugar

Combine all ingredients in a skillet over low heat. Stirring frequently, allow sugar to dissolve in the vinegar and strawberries to begin getting mushy, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, coaxing as much syrup from the fruit as possible. Makes about enough for two cocktails.

Barware notes: The rocks glass is from Crate & Barrel. The napkin was thrifted. The cast iron was handed down to me from Kyle’s nana (hi Nana!).

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Sip + Skim
my favorite finds this week, boozy and otherwise

This post—from the cutest mom ever—on not identifying as a mom really resonated with me. Even though we don’t have kids yet, the eventual intersection (and reckoning) of me and parent occupies many of my wandering thoughts.

I finally read the uber-hyped book of the summer, The Girls, and it was everything I wanted it to be and more. Cline’s writing is just plain bonkers good. Now I’m reading this (a coming-of-age novel set in NYC? No-brainer) and after that comes this. There will be tears.

Have you watched the Tony Robbins documentary? I’m pretty sure I spent two hours with my mouth gaping open. Still unclear if I’m repulsed or inspired.

Next time you’re looking for a thoughtful housewarming gift—which is to say, always—this guide is the ultimate.

Cocktail inspiration aplenty is crowding my brain at the moment, but I’m itching to get my hands on some Pastis before all else.

Get your fill of mellow, late summer/early fall jams from the band Bouquet, which I can’t remember how I discovered but am so glad I did.

Two current favorite blogs: (1) Cake Over Steak—food blogger/artist/jane of so many talents—you’ll do a double-take to decipher her illustrations from photographs; (2) Bev Cooks—her Instagram captions/stories make me giggle, she has two adorable toe-headed twins who she pokes fun at, and her blog is a mashup of awesome. Trust me. (I made this recipe last week and it was 100%.)

I’m starting a new item called “Things I Recently Added to My Amazon Wishlist”. This vegetable brush is supposed to be the b-e-s-t at scrubbing dishes, and this floss is the chicest dental product since, well, ever. (It comes in coconut and cara cara orange, people!)

Always on the hunt for new podcasts, I’m getting ready to binge listen to In the Dark, the newest member of the true crime genre—it’s gotten fantastic reviews and has a great digital component to boot.

Roundups and lists are my favorite—can you tell?—and Undrrated, a weekly compilation of music/reads/links/etc from women you either know or want to know, is a must-open.

Brunch Cocktails / Wine

Rosé Sangria + On Starting Again

09.19.16

Rosé Sangria // The Shared Sip
Time’s up.

No—really. For the last four weeks, I’ve gotten daily reminders in my inbox that this domain was about to expire. That my hosting services were coming to an end. That this space would be taken from me if I didn’t act now. Like, right now.

I’d be a fool if I didn’t see the symbolism in these pestering notes, the threats of closure looming as I approach the five-month mark of the last time I posted here. I wish I could say the months flew by without me realizing that I hadn’t written in so long, but that wouldn’t be true. I’ve thought about this virtual home of mine every day. I mentally added posts to my to-do list and then found reasons not to follow through. Long days at a new job. Summer vacations. Weddings, bachelorette parties, birthdays, family gatherings. Obligations.

But that’s not why I was taking an unplanned sabbatical. There was more to it than that.

I was recently rereading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic and came across one of my favorite pages in the book: The List of Ways in Which You Might Be Afraid to Live a Creative Life. This isn’t any clichéd list, either—it’s an extensive list of detailed reasons why you aren’t doing the thing you know you should (and want to) be doing.

Rosé Sangria // The Shared Sip

Though they all sound quite familiar, these were the ones that sucker-punched me in the gut:

You’re afraid somebody did it better.
You’re afraid everybody did it better.
You’re afraid you don’t have the right kind of training.
You’re afraid of being exposed as a hack.
You’re afraid you’re too old to start.

And finally, this one:

You’re afraid you’ve neglected your creativity for so long that now you can never get it back.

Rosé Sangria // The Shared Sip Just typing those out made my inner critic jump with joy. You ARE a hack. Someone WILL do it better. Your creativity IS gone. Are these words as familiar to you as they are to me?

It would be pretty easy to listen and obey—to succumb to these fears and move on with life. Pack up my proverbial blogging bag, let the domain expire, and console myself with some platitude about how it wasn’t meant to be.

But then I reread Liz’s crucial rebuttal to The List of Ways in Which You Might Be Afraid to Live a Creative Life:

Fear is boring. Everyone’s song of fear has exactly the same tedious lyric: STOP! STOP! STOP! It’s the same thing every day.

Who wants to do the same thing every day? Not me. I realized that’s been my biggest gripe about the last five months: they bored me. The monotony of our lives—the grocery shopping, the deadlines, the 7am alarm—is made less so when we let a little creativity in. I was bored of fear. It was time.

And so I renewed my domain. I committed to another year of hosting. I remembered why I started, and began again.

Rosé Sangria // The Shared Sip

I hope these words don’t come off as self-indulgent or navel-gazing. I’m thinking that if you’re reading this, you, too are creative—which you are, because we all are—and have experienced these same sentiments and might feel stuck as well.

Whatever distractions—fears, that is—are keeping you from your pursuit, I hope you’ll toss them aside, even if momentarily, and start again, too.

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This recipe is super simple and is perfect for the last dog days of summer! I recommend using a dry rosé, but really any you have on hand will do. A sparkling rosé would make a great variation as well.

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Rosé Sangria with Fresh Fruit Ice Cubes
makes approximately 4 cocktails

Fruit, fruit peels or herbs of your choice
Fruit juice or water
2 oz orange liqueur
1 bottle of rosé
Ice cube trays

Assembly

To make the cubes, fill an ice cube tray with the fruit, herb or peel of your choice. Cover with water or fruit juice. Freeze at least 4 hours.

To make the sangria, simply build each cocktail individually. Add several fruit ice cubes to a glass; top with .5 oz orange liqueur and your favorite rose!

Bourbon / Brunch Cocktails / Whiskey

The Warehouse C: A Bourbon-Strawberry Cocktail

04.13.16

Ah, bourbon, my old friend. I’ve missed thee. Lately I’ve been into gin and tequila and my bottles of whiskey and bourbon have been left neglected. The booze equivalents of the kids picked last in gym class. Just sitting there quietly at the back of my bar cart, unassuming. UNTIL NOW.

Strawberry season is here—maybe my favorite right after citrus season. I had just picked up several baskets of them from a local selling them on the corner (this legitimately happens in Sonoma County)—they were so sweet and delicious and I knew they would be perfect in a cocktail.

I was flipping through my Death & Co. book (have I mentioned this book before? Only at least least a dozen times? Once more for good measure, then: this book is everything), and came across this strawberry-bourbon number that basically jumped off the page and begged me to make it. It was divine intervention, if you ask me.

It turned out SO. GOOD. I know this recipe has more ingredients than I typically like to use (let’s keep things accessible around here!), but I think this one is worth the extra effort. You can make small batches of the syrups (linked below), and you already have orgeat on hand from making the Pink Lady. See? This cocktail practically makes itself! The consuming though, you’ll have to take part in. Sorry. I don’t make the rules, I just enforce them. Bottoms up!

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Warehouse C
adapted from Death & Co.; makes 1 cocktail

2 strawberries, halved
1.5 oz bourbon (I used Heritage Distilling Co.’s Batch 12)
.75 oz fresh lemon juice
.5 oz fresh lime juice
.25 oz orgeat
.25 oz cinnamon bark syrup
.25 oz ginger syrup
dash of aromatic bitters

Assembly

Muddle strawberries very well in a cocktail shaker; add ice and all other ingredients, and shake until very cold, about 20 seconds. Double strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a strawberry. Die happy.

Boozy Brunch / Brunch Cocktails / Gin

Boozy Brunch: The Breakfast Martini

04.08.16

Yep, you read that right: The Breakfast Martini has arrived.

Last year I visited my BFF, Kelsey, in New York to reunite with old friends from my big city days, and—equally as important—to check out the new bars and restaurants that had opened since I left. Russ & Daughters, a breakfast go-to for most Manhattan dwellers, has been known for its traditional bagel with lox forever. It’s as iconic to NYC as the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge. The spot is super old school—think generations-old staff and Soup Nazi-like rules (don’t even think about asking for your bagel toasted)—but they are truly the best in the biz.

After running the shop since 1914 (!), the owners finally decided it was time to open a restaurant—and the Russ & Daughters Cafe was born. The interior design and branding of the new locale was as well-thought out as their curated offerings, and the experience was as wonderful as I expected to be. What I didn’t expect was such a phenomenal cocktail menu, which went beyond the bloody mary and into new territory that included brunch-appropriate beverages featuring spirits like mezcal and bourbon. Daring and so unique. Sign me up.

We ordered the latkes (obvs), the babka french toast (OMG), and of course the traditional everything bagel/lox/onion combo that I’ve recreated for this post. To accompany it, the Breakfast Martini, which was so tasty I’ve had it on my to-drink list since I landed back in San Francisco. The combination of the sweet cocktail with the savory bagel is just perfection.

This weekend, skip the mimosa or the bellini and opt instead for this bevvy that will have you rethinking all the brunch rules. Russ would totally approve.

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The Breakfast Martini
makes 2 cocktails

2 oz gin
2 oz fresh lemon juice
2 bar spoons of strawberry jam
2 bar spoons of simple syrup
absinthe
two egg whites

Assembly

Rinse two coupe glasses with absinthe. Add egg whites to a shaker without ice and shake vigorously until frothy, about 60-90 seconds. Add ice, gin, lemon juice, jam and simple to the shaker and shake until very cold, about 20 seconds. Strain into the absinthe-rinsed coupes. Try not to guzzle it at once.

Barware notes: Plates are from Heath Ceramics. Coupes are thrifted. Dishtowel is from IKEA.

Classic Cocktails / mezcal / Tequila

Perfecting A Classic: The Margarita

04.06.16

I’m not even embarrassed to admit it: a margarita is one of my favorite cocktails of all time. It’s simple, refreshing and super easy to make, and when the warm weather hits there’s nothing I love more than a marg. Plus: TEQUILA. Is there anything better?

My sister introduced me to this version of the classic, and I’ve never looked back. I’ll skip a fancy margarita for this version any day. The best part: you’ll likely always have the three ingredients on hand which can only mean one thing: margaritas all the timeeee!

The Best Margarita Ever
makes 1 cocktail

2 oz tequila (or mezcal!)
1 oz fresh lime juice
.5 oz agave

Assembly

Rim a rocks glass with lime, then salt (I also love a combination of salt and chipotle chile pepper!); set aside. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until very cold, about 20 seconds. Strain into the rocks glass filled with fresh ice; garnish with a lime wedge or wheel. Sip happily.

Barware notes: Rocks glasses are from cb2.

Boozy Brunch / Brunch Cocktails / champagne / Prosecco

Boozy Brunch: Blood Orange Champagne Granita

03.25.16

I’m so excited to kick off a new series here on The Shared Sip: Boozy Brunch! Every other week, I’ll share a delicious brunch recipe and a cocktail to go with it.

Because who doesn’t love brunch? A lazy, indulgent meal shared with friends or family, where drinking isn’t only permissible but encouraged? Sign me up. I hope you’ll use this series to create some memories around the breakfast table with people you love.

First up are these IN-SANE cheddar cornbread waffles topped with a fried egg. The recipe comes from one of my absolute favorite bloggers, How Sweet It Is—Jessica consistently has the most unique, mouth-watering recipes and her blog as been my go-to for everything from breakfast to dessert, with endless cocktail inspiration to boot! Put her on your follow list immeds.

This recipe is super easy but will trick your guests into thinking you slaved away for hours (my favorite kind of recipe). I paired it with a blood orange champagne granita—taking full advantage of citrus season and the beginning of warmer weather. The sweetness of the granita goes so well with the savory waffles, and is easy to prepare ahead of time so you’re not running around your kitchen like a madwoman when your guests arrive (just me?)

When it comes down to it, the cocktails and food won’t matter as much as the company you share them with. So slow down, cozy up with your people, and dig in. Brunch is served!

Blood Orange Champagne Granita
makes 4 generous cocktails

1 bottle dry champagne or prosecco, chilled
Blood orange simple syrup, chilled (dissolve 1/2 c. sugar in 1/2 c. blood orange juice over medium heat; allow to cool completely in fridge)

Assembly

Pour champagne or prosecco onto a large jelly roll pan (or any baking sheet with taller sides; you could also use a brownie pan or something similar), then add the blood orange simple syrup. Mix with a spoon—it doesn’t need to be super well mixed; I actually liked a little separation of the two as it created an ombre freeze!

Freeze for about 30 minutes, or until sides of pan begin to form ice. Scrape the icy sides into the middle. Put back in the freezer for an hour or until the liquid begins to freeze more evenly. Using a fork, scrape the ice into the center. Repeat the process 3-4 times, or until all liquid has been frozen and scraped into granita.

Scoop into glasses and serve immediately! The granita will keep in the freezer, so this can easily be made the day ahead.

Barware notes: The glasses are from Muji. Plates are by Noritake. Mixing bowls are from Crate & Barrel. Napkin is from Nell & Mary.

Gin

The Pink Lady

03.23.16

The Pink Lady is actually a fairly standard drink (first created with gin, lemon and grenadine), amped up a notch with a few variations by the lovely bartenders at Armoury DE in Dallas (if you missed the details of our trip, check it out here! Complete with a Dallas cocktail bar guide. YEP.) My sister ordered this cocktail, and it was a hit—so I recreated it here for you!

I love the brightness of the lemon, the sweetness of the raspberries, and the complexity of the absinthe. A word to the wise: don’t try and sub something in for the orgeat. I tried, and it just can’t be replicated. Orgeat (pronounced OR-zsa, like Zsa Zsa Gabor) is an almond syrup and is most commonly used in tiki drinks, though it’s pretty versatile and a great syrup to keep in your home bar. It’s only about $10 and can be found and most liquor stores. Someday I’ll try my hand at making my own, but for now the store-bought stuff really caters to my laziness.

Dry shaking is still something I’m trying to master—I can’t quite get the egg white consistency as creamy and as substantial as I want it to be. Someday! The cocktail was still super tasty and perfect for the beginning of spring. Here’s to sunnier days and later sunsets!

The Pink Lady
makes 1 cocktail

1 oz gin
.75 oz lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
small handful of raspberries (about 8)
.5 oz orgeat
absinthe
egg white

Assembly

Rinse a coupe glass with absinthe; discard any lingering liquid. Set aside.

Muddle simple syrup and raspberries together to extract as much juice as possible. Strain well through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside.

Add egg white to a shaker without ice; shake vigorously for at least one minute, until very frothy. Add ice, raspberry syrup, lemon juice, gin and orgeat. Shake until very cold, about 20 seconds. Pour into the absinthe-rinsed coupe and enjoy immediately.

Boozy Eats / Whiskey

Ritz S’mores with Baileys Ganache + Whiskey Caramel

03.17.16

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I’ve been seeing green cocktails everywhere, so I decided to mix it up and create an Irish-themed dessert instead.

I’ve been wanting to play around with boozy foods (hey, sometimes shooting and recipe developing for just cocktails can get a little snoozy!), and s’mores immediately came to mind.

Who can resist them? I picked up some Baileys and I had Irish whiskey on hand. Then the inevitable happened: I got home and realized I was out of graham crackers. But I did have some Ritz laying around. One of my favorite bloggers, Joy the Baker, did these amazing Ritz PB ice cream sandwiches awhile ago, so I knew they had potential to create a killer s’more.

The finished dessert was even better than I had anticipated. Both the Baileys and the Irish whiskey really come through, and the saltiness of the Ritz is the perfect compliment to an otherwise super-sweet treat. I hope you’ll try these out tonight after your corned beef feast!

If you’re looking for a St. Patty’s Day cocktail, here’s a small roundup of some that caught my eye around the web!

Eastside Cocktail by Love & Victory
Green Monster Bloody Mary by Honestly YUM (completely UNREAL!)
Irish Coffee with Whiskey Syrup from How Sweet It Is
ICYMI: My Irish Whiskey Matcha Latte from last year!

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Ritz S’mores with Baileys Ganache + Whiskey Caramel
makes 1 s’more

2 Ritz crackers
Baileys Ganache (recipe follows)
1 toasted marshmallow
Irish Whiskey Caramel (recipe follows)

Assembly

Smooth ganache on the bottom of one Ritz cracker. Stack marshmallow on ganache-covered cracker, then top with caramel. Cover with other Ritz. Enjoy as messily as possible!

Baileys Ganache

4 oz. chocolate (I used Ghirardelli’s 60% cacao chips)
¼ c. Bailey’s Irish Cream

Heat Baileys in a small saucepan until just boiling. Pour over chips, and allow to sit for about a minute to melt chocolate, then whisk to fully melt. Use immediately.

Whiskey Caramel

⅜ c. half & half
⅛ c. Irish Whiskey (I used Bushmills)
1 c. brown sugar
4 tbsp butter

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until all ingredients combine; continue whisking until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool, then transfer to fridge to thicken further. Will keep for several weeks—great on ice cream, too!