I love whiskey. I didn’t like it the first time I tried it. Or the second. In fact, for years I thought I hated it. Then a magical trip to Ireland changed my mind and now I love it. And although there are much worse hardships with being pregnant, I have missed pouring a little whiskey over some ice and enjoying it with a nice long chat with a friend. As I’ve been thinking about pleasurable drinks I can still enjoy during pregnancy, I’ve realized there’s NOTHING that can actually replace it or quite emulate whiskey.
But I can approximate the general experience of drinking a whiskey. I want something deeply brown sugary tasting with a little vanilla and other kinds of uncertain complexity to it. So here is a syrup made with molasses and honey, vanilla and spices. You pour a little over ice and top with just a bit of seltzer. It’s strongly flavored and complex, for sipping, not gulping. See the full post with all recipe links here.
Pregnancy Whiskey Proxy
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 cloves
- 1 inch ginger cut into medallions
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 liters seltzer
- lime cut into wedges (optional)
Instructions
- Bring molasses, honey, water, cinnamon stick, cloves and ginger to a boil and stir to make sure the molasses and honey has dissolved. Turn off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Store in the fridge overnight to let the spices infuse.
- The next day, add the salt and vanilla and stir. Pour it into a jar.
- To make one drink, pour one tablespoon (or shot!) of the syrup in a glass over ice. Top with 1/4 cup of seltzer, (or to taste) and a squeeze of lime if using. I'd suggest making the drinks one at a time to your taste rather than mixing the syrup with the seltzer all at once. There is something ritualistic about mixing up a little drink for yourself so make it part of the experience.