Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Cooking with Classic Cocktails: How to Make an Alcohol Marinade for Your Meat

By

alcohol marinade
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Sipping a well-craft cocktail is a beautiful experience, but there are other uses for these beverages. Booze can often find its way into the kitchen — often as a cook imbibes —but with the right techniques, a creative chef can marinate with cocktails.

There are some natural flavor match-ups for meats and cocktails, but of course experimentation is always encouraged. Be aware that alcohol has a tendency to cook the outside of meat, meaning the flavor won’t necessarily penetrate the rest of the cut. To work around this, cook the alcohol out of a cocktail by allowing it to simmer for approximately two hours, which will help solidify the flavors within the mixture. It’s generally recommended that alcohol marinades be used for less than four hours, especially with light fish and shellfish.

Recommended Videos

Now, without further ado, here are some classical cocktails that also make great marinades.

Margarita

Margarita Shrimp alcohol marinade
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A quick five to 10 minute stop in a margarita bath should be all some skewered shrimp need before heading to the grill. Tequila-lime shrimp is a menu staple at many bars, and a margarita mixture delivers a little extra sweetness and char with sugar.

You can upgrade with other fruits or spice it up with jalapeno. Here are some essential tequila cocktails you need to know, including a classic margarita recipe.

Vodka Tonic

Vodka Tonic Chicken alcohol marinade
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Vodka is already a staple in some pasta sauces, but a simple vodka tonic can be used to marinade a piece of chicken, preferably for a short duration — say 30 minutes. Lime would be the major contributing flavor factor, unless a flavored vodka is substituted in, but don’t underestimate the role of good tonic water. Gin lovers could also test the botanical spirit with a similar gin and tonic — just make sure to use the best gin.

Old Fashioned

old fashioned steak alcohol marinade
Image used with permission by copyright holder

For a cheap steak — who would marinade a nice steak? — an Old Fashioned offers a way to cut through the toughness with a variety of strong tastes. Bourbon and sugar bring vanilla and oak flavors to the meat (sounds tasty for a chili), but the fruits of an orange or cherry also accompany a steak excellently. These are our favorite whiskeys for Old Fashioneds.

Dark and Stormy

dark and stormy ribs
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This classic rum recipe is a great choice for many meats, but ribs or pork tenderloin would be an ideal choice. The marinade can also end up making a great barbecue sauce. A quality rum will make all the difference.

Topics
Pat Evans
Pat Evans
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Pat Evans is a writer based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, focusing on food and beer, spirits, business, and sports. His full…
Laird Superfood launches new latte for enhanced energy and vitality
A healthier version of your favorite latte
Laird Maca Instant Latte

Just in time to support New Year's resolutions, functional coffee brand Laird Superfood has launched a new product: the Maca Instant Latte. The brand's Instant Lattes are already popular amongst health-conscious coffee drinkers, but this launch adds a new product to the Instant Latte product line. Made with plant-based superfoods and minimally processed ingredients, the Maca Latte is designed to boost vitality and energy to support your active lifestyle.

According to Laird, Maca is becoming "more popular but hasn't yet been incorporated into many mainstream and easy-to-use products. Our Maca Instant Latte is a delicious and nutritious way for consumers to restore their vitality every day. At Laird Superfood we are continually innovating with new ingredients that help enhance daily rituals – like a morning cup of coffee," said Jason Vieth, CEO of Laird Superfood. " The Maca Instant Latte also contains naturally occurring MCTs for sustained energy, along with the power of Laird’s beloved Performance Mushroom Blend to enhance energy.

Read more
This automated home brewer deal is perfect for any beer lover
The F1 Automated Home Brewer on a white background.

What’s better than the best cheap beer? Making your own! A fantastic hobby with potentially equally fantastic results, buying an automated home brewer could well make you the favorite gift giver this year. Right now, you can buy the F1 Automated Home Brewer at Amazon for $599. It normally costs $699 so you’re saving $100. That also makes it the lowest price it’s been in a long while. Depending on your location, it should arrive before Christmas too if you have Prime membership. If that all sounds great, you know what to do. However, if you’re not entirely certain, keep reading while we take you through what it has to offer.

Why you should buy the F1 Automated Home Brewer
If you’ve been reading all about how beer is made and decided you want to do it for yourself, the F1 Automated Home Brewer is a great way to do that. Designed to work equally well for beginners and experts, it means you can brew craft beer in just three easy steps. At a time when the future of craft beer is complicated, it’s good to be able to make your own.

Read more
Need a last-minute gift idea? This wine gift set is just $50
The Tomeem Rechargeable Electric Wine Gift Set on a white background.

If you need to think of a last-minute gift idea for the wine lover in your life, we’re here to help. We’ve spotted a rechargeable electric wine gift set at Amazon for just $50. It normally costs $60, but today you can save $10 or 17% off the regular price. It’s the perfect thing to delight anyone who’s a big fan of wine. If you want to learn more about it, read on, or you can simply buy it straight away via the button below.

Why you should buy the Tomeem Rechargeable Electric Wine Gift Set
The Tomeem Rechargeable Electric Wine Gift Set is everything that the wine lover needs in their life. It’s a 4-in-1 electric wine bottle which comes in a great looking box so it’s ideal for gifting. The wine opener has a stainless steel case with carbon steel spiral. It can remove the cork in seconds with minimal hassle from you. The hardest thing you’ll need to do is think about what type of red wine or which types of white wine you want to drink.

Read more