The 25 Best Healthy Boozy Recipes for Whiskey, Rum, Tequila, and Beyond

The liquor cabinet may not seem like an obvious extension of your kitchen pantry. But it is indeed the final frontier of my hoarding tendencies.

As I mentioned last year in this post, I’m not the biggest mover and shaker when it comes to cocktails. For a date night, it just seems like a hassle to whip up 3 types of infused this and that to create something intricate and swoon-worthy. And mixing bespoke concoctions to order for more than ten people isn’t exactly fun either.

The result is a lot of dusty bottles of booze, which I bought during a one-off bout of cocktail creativity, and then relinquished to the shelf to die a second slow, distilled death.

For me, committing to drinking my way through said bottles of rum, whiskey and tequila is not the healthiest or smartest avenue. That type of pantry purge would just inspire a whole other type of purge. And not a pretty one.

So, instead, I’m going to try to cook my way through some of these bottles.

Using alcohol at the stove is an amazing way to layer flavor, especially when you’re making a pan sauce, giving depth to a stew, or creating a sassy background aroma to sweets. So to celebrate this often overlooked part of your pantry, during the final week of my Spring cleaning month, I thought I would round up some great recipes from around the web for rum, tequila, whiskey and hard cider (that one’s for my gluten-free folk who don’t stock 6-packs of beer).

One consequence of not being a cocktail person is that there’s usually a half opened bottle of wine in the fridge that’s about to turn. So I’ve included some ideas for any wayward red or white you may have lying around too.

And stay tuned for an actual cocktail recipe coming your way later in the week. It’s a unicorn in these parts, so don’t miss it!

From one healthy hedonist, to another,

xoxo
Phoebe

p.s. looking to rehoard your liquor cabinet with some gluten-free options? Check out my favorite gluten-free hard liquor brands here, and beers and ciders here.

Whiskey

Almost Raw Apricot Bourbon Cheesecake | Will Frolic For Food

Oven Ribs with Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce | A Cozy Kitchen

Gingersnap Chocolate Cream Pie with Bourbon Pecan Crumble | Kale & Caramel

Crock Pot Bourbon Chicken | Well Plated

Rum

Rum and Raisin Chocolate Ice Cream | Vanelja

Banana Foster Smoothie | Food Faith Fitness

Healthy Banana Pudding with Maple-Rum Compote | Feed Me Phoebe

Boozy Coconut Mojito Popsicles | Feed Me Phoebe

Berry Mint Granita with Rum | Rachel Cooks

Tequila

Tequila-Lime Berry Crisp | Crepes of Wrath

Tequila Lime Steak Fajita Salad | How Sweet It Is

Baked Margarita Chicken Wings | Healthy Delicious

Watermelon-Mint Tequila Popsicles | Hungry Girl Por Vida

Tequila Lime Chicken Enchiladas | House of Yum

Wine

The Best Garlicky Shrimp with White Wine and Tomatoes | The Yellow Table

Mushroom Bolognese | Brooklyn Supper

Quinoa Risotto with Asparagus and Sundried Tomatoes | Domesticate ME

Dark Chocolate Red Wine Truffles | Tasty Yummies

White Wine Braised Artichokes | Feed Me Phoebe

Cider

Bangers with Spinach Mash and Cider Onions | Feed Me Phoebe

Cider Braised Chicken with Butternut Squash | How Sweet It Is

Hard Cider French Onion Soup | Appeasing a Food Geek

Pork Stew with Hard Cider, Parsnips and Pancetta | Feed Me Phoebe

Cider-Glazed Root Vegetables with Apple and Tarragon | America’s Test Kitchen