I’m wanting to ‘play’ with my gumbo recipe by replacing some of the broth with alcohol. Is there a specific beverage that would complement the bold flavors best?

A little background: I’m just a home cook who likes to have fun, experimenting, and challenging herself in the kitchen. I have no training of any kind, I’ve never worked in a kitchen etc..

Gumbo is my favorite food. It’s packed with rich umami flavor, has a variety of textures, can be made as spicy as my little heart desires, and there is always a little something left in the bowl to sop up with a piece of bread.

I am in the camp of people who add tomatoes to their gumbo. I add them both in the form of a can of crushed tomatoes and some tomato paste. Last week I was thinking about penne alla vodka and how the alcohol releases aroma compounds and esters in the sauce to enhance the flavor. It got me thinking about if I were to substitute some of the broth in my gumbo recipe for an alcoholic beverage of some kind, it might have the same effect. I made gumbo on Tuesday and just used some Chardonnay I had on hand. The flavor was definitely different, but I was disappointed. I like the flavor of the gumbo without the wine better. The wine sweetened it too much. Maybe I just used too much? I typically use 6 cups of stock and one 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes as my liquid. On Tuesday I substituted 12 ounces of the stock for wine. If there is a different type of wine that would better compliment the flavors of gumbo (I use chicken thighs and andouille as my proteins) I would love to know! I’m not a big wine drinker- I like wine, I just don’t drink enough to open a bottle and have it finished before it goes bad. I’m also open to other alcohol options; whiskey, rum- white (I don’t like spiced rum), beer.. I do not like tequila, so I don’t think that I would enjoy cooking with it. I’ve never had mezcal or gin, so I don’t know how those taste. I don’t drink vodka because it makes me vomit, I’m not opposed to cooking with it but I think I’d prefer something I can also drink, so it doesn’t just sit in my cupboard.

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