Sweet Whiskey BBQ Sauce

This Sweet Whiskey BBQ Sauce is sweet, tangy, delicious, and the perfect pairing for anything you will throw on the grill.

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Rain or shine, heat or frost, there is always something on the grill in this house, which means there is always a need for the perfect BBQ sauce to pair with a dish.

This mouthwatering BBQ sauce is made with pantry staples like ketchup, honey, molasses, brown sugar, and of course a little bit of your favorite bourbon.

Everyone loves a tasty sauce! Forget store-bought with easy-to-make sauces like Southwestern Ranch Dipping Sauce, Best Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing, Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce, and my Homemade Imperial Stout BBQ Sauce!

Sweet Whiskey BBQ Sauce Recipe

If you are looking for a delicious homemade BBQ sauce – I’ve got the recipe for you!

I’ve been making this Sweet Whiskey BBQ Sauce for a few years now and it is a staple in this house.

This is a sweet BBQ sauce with a nice whiskey kick. I recommend grabbing your favorite bottle of whisky and using that for this recipe because the flavor of your preferred whiskey will shine through in this barbeque sauce recipe.

Ingredients Needed for Homemade Sauce

Bourbon Liquor. To make this whisky BBQ sauce, you are going to need 1 cup of your favorite bourbon. I recommend using Makers Mark or Jack Daniels, for that smooth taste of Tennessee.

Common Ingredients. You might not know this if you haven’t made BBQ sauce before, but the 3 most common ingredients in any BBQ sauce are ketchup, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce.

Sweetness. Butter, brown sugar (I recommend dark brown sugar), molasses, and honey bring sweet notes and flavors to the sauce.

Flavor and Spice. Toss in some added flavor with a bit of hot sauce and season with black pepper and granulated onion.

For Texture. To get your sauce to the right consistency, you are going to need some cornstarch and a bit of water.

How to Make Delicious BBQ Sauce

Make this sauce. Add butter and bourbon to the pan, simmer on low until the alcohol has burned off (about 2 minutes), then add the remaining ingredients and continue to simmer on low stirring frequently.

Blend the sauce. After about 30 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and blend until smooth.

Store the sauce. This step is optional, but if you are going to store your sauce, run the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and store it in an air-tight container for up to 1 month in the fridge.

Recipe Tips, Tricks, and Variations

Toss it all in. There is no order for the addition of the ingredients. Just mix them all in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil while constantly stirring.

Don’t Burn the Sauce. Be very careful when making the sauce as it can bubble, pop and burn to the pan. So make sure to stir often!

Bring out the best flavors. Try using different types of whiskey in varying quantities to create your own perfect sauce. Whether you prefer bourbons or scotches, the taste will be unique and delicious.

Substitute for Bourbon Whiskey. There is no non-alcoholic substitute for whiskey that will give you the flavor profile that whiskey provides. However, if you want to remove the alcohol altogether, you can replace it with apple juice or ginger beer. However, it is essential to note that this will change the recipe’s flavor.

Spicy BBQ Sauce. Looking to make a spicy bbq sauce instead of something sweet? You can turn up the heat by adding more hot sauce or adding some cayenne pepper, chili powder, or chili pepper extract to the recipe.

Make it your own. Don’t be afraid to experiment and take this sauce in whatever direction you desire. There’s no right or wrong way to make this so enjoy the ride and let your taste buds be your guide along the way.

Storage. I love to make the sauce and store it in the fridge to top many different recipes. If you are going to store the sauce, I recommend using a mason jar or an airtight container.

What to Serve with BBQ Sauce

This recipe can go with pulled pork, chicken, especially chicken wings, or even ribs.

The choice is yours to make once you’ve tried it on anything you want.

If you are looking for a great way to make chicken wings, I recommend printing, pinning, saving, and bookmarking this Pellet Grill Smoked Chicken Wings (0-400 method) recipe.

FAQs for Making BBQ Sauce with Whiskey

Which Bourbon Should I Choose for BBQ Sauce

Grab your favorite bottle and let’s get cooking! There is no right or wrong answer here, but I prefer to use a whiskey I like because those flavors will come out in this recipe.

Some top choices of mine include Maker’s Mark, Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam, Woodford Reserve, or 1492 but let’s be honest ain’t nothing wrong with Kentucky Gentleman.

FAQs for Making BBQ Sauce with Whiskey

Note: This Sweet Whiskey, BBQ Sauce Recipe, was initially written in 2011. I kept the recipe the same but overhauled a few of the above photos.

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