Is Alcohol the new the secret ingredient to transforming your cooking game? ...Discover the world of cooking with alcohol.
- rogzys _kitchen
- Jul 17, 2025
- 4 min read
Hey hunny! So, I have a random question, what pops in your brain when you hear the term beer or even alcohol in general?
Lemme guess, ‘sherehe’ party, right? Granted, it’s one of the many factors that make a party what it is but did you know it can also elevate a meal form basic to brilliant? Hard to believe? Well, stick along as I explain everything to you bit by bit…
Let’s start from the ground up, what is alcohol? Well, according to the dictionary ‘[noun] drinks such as beer, wine etc. that can make people drunk’ perfect! Now that we have that out of the way, let’s put it into context..
Cooking is the art of converting ingredients from their natural state to a state that’s edible/palatable either using heat or any other form. When cooking, liquids are used to aid in the process either by softening some of the ingredients e.g., tomatoes or add soup to a dish. Now this is where alcohol comes in as a substitute.
As we all know, water is a neutral liquid so it doesn’t have flavor to it thus making it the most versatile cooking liquid in the culinary kingdom seeing that it can be manipulated in any way, shape or form. From ice cubes, to normal water, to a Baine Marie as a source of secondary heat. The possibilities are endless
Here comes alcohol, as a beverage that has already been processed and comes with a flavor of its own it comes in handy in both development of flavor and elevation of existing flavors making it versatile from starters, mains and even desserts, literally that gurl!
Long story short, here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know about the world of cooking with alcohol;
• Flavor enhancer since it bonds with the naturally occurring fat and water in food.
• Tenderizer in marinades since it helps breakdown the protein element [peptides] especially in animal protein e.g., beef, chicken.
• Some types of alcohol i.e., spirits are used in extractions of spices which is better than water.
• If you’re of doing roasts then boy do I have news for you. Alcohol makes for a perfect de-glazing agent from baking tins, pans which enriches the sauces.
Now I know you’re probably asking, ‘Rogzy, does the alcohol completely burn off when used in cooking’? well, the simple answer is no but depending on the method of cooking used;
o FLAMBE = 75%
o SIMMERED FOR 30 MIN = 35%
o BAKED/STEWED 21 HRS <5%
Having all this information with you, you’re probably wondering how to pick the perfect alcohol pair for the dish. Let me you take you through it but before I do that here’s a cardinal rule; ALWAYS MATCH INTENSITY AND FLAVOR PROFILE WITH THE DISH.
In lay man’s language what I’m trying to say is strong goes with strong and mild goes with mild.
I. Light dishes [soft tissue protein] Fish, come parts of chicken e.g., breast – White wine, vodka, dry vermouth. An example of a dish is beer batter fish, chicken strips vodka marinated chicken breast
II. Red meat, sauces – Red wine, dark beer, whiskey and some pastry. An example of a dish is a delicious red-velvet cake, pressured cooked ossobuco, beer-soaked beef fillet.
III. Sweet desserts – rum, liqueurs, fortified wines.
Some of the cooking techniques you could employ when you want to use alcohol include;
De-glazing [wine, brandy, whiskey]
Marinating [both wet and dry marination] wine, beer, punches and some spirits to tenderize the meat.
Flambe for a dramatic finish especially during restaurant services [rum, cognac or brandy].
Baking/ infusion with cakes, syrups, glazes [rum, liqueurs or wine].
Reduction of sauces to make a concentrate of flavors.
Having all these factors, recommendations and considerations, here are a few safety measures to apply whilst using alcohol;
1) ALWAYS remove the pan from the flame adding spirits. Spirits are flammable!
2) Use moderate heat, especially when using open sources of heat to cook off alcohol
3) Don’t use ‘cooking wine’, choose wine that is actually drinkable in its natural state. [quality alcohol]
That being said, here’s your favorite part. My recommendations on which Kenyan brands to use when cooking;
Wines.
Kenyan brands; Leleshwa wines- both white and red.
International brands; KWV {south Africa}, Frontera {Chile], barefoot {USA} Drostdy Hof {Italian}
Beer & ciders.
Kenyan; Tusker larger [one of the best], white cap
Others; Guinness, Stella Artois, Heineken.
Spirits [flambe, sauce, marinades]
Kenyan; Kenya cane {neutral spirit}, bond 7{whiskey}
Others; Captain Morgan{rum}, Jameson{whiskey}, Hennessy{cognac}
Liqueurs- for desserts, syrups.
Amarula {south African}, Kahlua, Cointreau, baileys
And with that hunnies, we’ve wrapped up our class. Please not that this research is based off on my research and is not 100% so kindly take it with a pinch of salt and also do your own research. All comments, compliments and criticisms are welcome.
You can find some alcohol-based recipes on my page.
Please do try them and let me know what you think.
Love and light,
Rogzys kitchen.
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