This Adult Spin On Peanut Butter And Jelly Will Give You A Buzz
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It seems like all of our childhood dreams are being revived and upgraded to cocktail form this year. First, we're spiking Shirley Temples, and now the ultimate drunchie — the drunk version of the munchies — snack is its own drink? This might be the greatest invention of our generation.
First of all, someone needs to give the Skrewball creators an award. Turning peanut butter into whiskey? Groundbreaking. Owner and co-founder Brittany Merrill Yeng says the idea started when her husband's obsession with peanut butter led to pouring whiskey-peanut butter shots at their bar. She states, "People were coming from all around the country, the world, everywhere, and were just like, 'Oh, I want to try that'" (via the National Peanut Board). According to her, the smooth creaminess of peanut butter works as a shockingly good pairing to whiskey, which can pack a punch.
Well, bartenders took that and ran with it. Mixologists unlocked a new level when someone decided to add a little fruit flavoring to the mix. Thus, the adult PB&J was born.
A raspberry liquor really takes it up a notch
If you're making this at home and want the drink to come as close to the tasty sandwich as possible, try Chambord or a French black raspberry liqueur with a cognac base (via The Spruce Eats). You'll only need a quarter-ounce pour of the Chambord so as to not overpower the already punchy whiskey (via Cuisine At Home). Be careful, though, as all of this sweet goodness will camouflage the taste of alcohol. If you'd rather reach for your home refrigerator instead of a pricy top shelf, you can always opt for a tart fruit juice like cranberry. You can also use any fruit-flavored simple syrup or even make your own jelly syrup with fruit preserves. Then, just shake together your peanut butter whiskey, fruit liqueur or syrup, ice, and any other additions you want to make a suddenly-classic drink.
This is a great opportunity to experiment with all the different PB&J variations possible. Remember arguing with your brother or sister about how much better grape jelly was than strawberry? Put it to the test over the rocks.
Even naysayers can't help but love peanut butter whiskey
Unlike other flavored liquors that usually have large amounts of dye and artificial flavoring, this whiskey is made from real peanuts and peanut oil (via Bartendr). So, anyone allergic to nuts will want to stay far away from this drink. Luckily for everyone else, more and more peanut butter alcohols are coming out of the woodwork, presenting a variety of variations of the spirit. Brittany and Stephen Yeng's Skrewball has a more rounded peanut butter cup taste reminiscent of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Butterfingers. In comparison, other up-and-coming sweet whiskeys have buttery popcorn or shortbread flavoring in their version of the whipped snack.
Even whiskey purists are making the liquor the exception to the rule. "There is that initial shock value that most people think won't combine well. But I think that's really what makes them work together so well," describes Brittany Yeng (via the National Peanut Board). Pair that with a sour fruity counterpart, and even non-whiskey drinkers can't deny the classic flavor combo.