The Spirit World

This week we’re staying in the US for Drinks Around the World but going to a whole new area of the country.

When visiting New Orleans one of the little treats I always look forward to are Pralines - those rich, very sweet, nutty candies. It has never bothered me that nearly every vendor claims to have the “original” version, even though there can be wide discrepancies in tastes and styles. In whatever form, these over-the-top sugary sweets are good!

The one thing “true” pralines have in common is pecans. Although you will find recipes for walnut pralines, peanut butter pralines and orange pralines, among others, all “true” New Orleans pralines are basically sugar, cream (or milk of some sort) butter and pecans.

So imagine my delight when I found a bottle of Praline New Orleans Style Pecan Liqueur! This liqueur is made by The Sazerac Company, based in New Orleans. And it is like drinking candy from a bottle. It’s a fairly low-alcohol spirit, only 42 proof, so the sugar is a big player in the taste. But you can also really get the nut taste.

As an after dinner sip or an addition to a cup of coffee or tea it’s soothing. Add a little whip cream to that hot beverage and it’s decadent! I keep thinking I need to add it to bread pudding as I’m sure it would enhance that yummy dessert! In fact I have some bread that would be great in bread pudding right now! Hmmmm…

In the meantime, the company suggests this delicious (and definitely not low-cal) recipe on the back of the bottle:

Praline and Cream

Combine 1 1/2 oz of Praline Liqueur, 1 1/2 oz Creme de Cacao, 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream and cracked ice in a blender until smooth. Serve in a rocks glass.