Booze-inspired treats to try around Madison

While there are plenty of bars and restaurants offering great drinks in Madison, some local spots are creating interesting desserts and treats using alcohol and classic cocktail combinations. From a mojito sorbet to a bourbon pecan pie and boozy shakes to champagne cheesecake, here are a few options worth checking out.

Batch Bakehouse’s Dark Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
If there’s one thing for certain, it’s that Wisconsinites love Bourbon. Heidi Bachmeier of Batch Bakehouse says the dark chocolate makes all the difference in its rendition of bourbon pecan pie. “A lot of pecan pies don’t always include dark chocolate, but that little layer really adds a lot to it, and just creates a really beautiful mixture of the flavors,” she says. “The filling and the chocolate really blend together to create a rich, delectable pie.” 1402 Williamson St., batchbakehouse.com

Canteen’s Spiked Horchata
As soon the clock finally strikes 2 p.m., it means happy hour at Canteen. Everyday Canteen offers half-off tacos, margaritas, wines and beer specials. While the restaurant’s creamy horchata may not be on the happy hour, the sweet rice drink is a needed addition to a meal. Made with white rice flour, cinnamon, vanilla and sweetened condensed milk, the horchata is boiled and then sits overnight before the rice flour is strained. The drink is spiked with white rum and Old Sugar Distillery’s honey liqueur. If you need another reason to stop by, Assistant General Manager Kelsey Yanisch says, “It’s a great spot on the square to enjoy the good weather while you can.” 111 S. Hamilton St., canteentaco.com

Calliope Ice Cream’s Mojito Sorbet
Calliope Owner Staci Fritz was onto something when she took her first stab at the dairy-free “Mojito Sorbet.” She blends rum (not enough to get anyone tipsy), lime juice, lime zest and fresh spearmint from her garden and the little mint patch growing at Garver Feed Mill. Fritz says the mojito sorbet is selling quickly, but will stay in stock for a couple more weeks. If you miss out on this flavor, there are other alcohol-inspired flavors to go around. As Calliope’s boozy ice cream is its specialty, they’ve made a lot of different flavors over the past two years including Honey Gin Basil Smash, French 75 and Gingerbread Liqueur. Two consistent offerings are Hearty Breakfast — made with french toast, bacon and a dash of Old Sugar Distillery’s Queen Jennie Sorghum whiskey — and The Brandy Old Fashioned that taste’s just like our state’s favorite cocktail. “It is so good and it’s really fun to be able to work with other small, local producers,” Fritz says. As for Fritz’s favorite small-batch flavor, she prefers the Kringle Cream ice cream, which mixes a Kringle Cream liqueur base with kringle pieces. 3241 Garver Green, calliopeicecream.com

Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream’s Exhausted Parent
On a scorching hot day, ice cream is a must. Exhausted Parent isn’t just popular for its apt name, but the ingredients as well. It contains bourbon coffee with sweet chocolate chunks, and while it won’t get anyone buzzed, its rich, satisfying flavor does the trick. Another popular choice is the bourbon pecan ice cream, which is topped with roasted pecan pieces and sea salt chocolate. 468 State St.; 2322 Atwood Ave.; 1726 Fordem Ave.; 2685 Research Park Drive, Fitchburg; 2831 Parmenter St., Middleton; 2531 Monroe St.; 555 S. Midvale Blvd.; chocolateshoppeicecream.com

DLUX’s Boozy Milkshakes
Just off the Capitol Square, DLUX is known for its burgers and boozy shakes made with Sassy Cow ice cream. The staff favorite is Up All Night with espresso vodka, creme de cacao and coffee. That’s not the only one with a hint of chocolate — s’mores is a blend of bourbon, toasted marshmallow milk, graham crackers and chocolate. Other boozy options include Mint Cookies N’ Cream (crème de menthe and Oreos), Dreamsicle (vanilla vodka and house-made orange cream soda) and Old-fashioned (featuring SoulBoxer Old Fashioned Liqueur). 117 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., dluxmadison.com

Le C’s Patisserie & Tea House’s Rum Raisin Chocolate Bun
Wheat flour, eggs, butter, sugar, milk, raisins, a dash of rum and dark chocolate mixed with heavy cream — that’s all it takes to make one fresh, rum raisin chocolate bun at Le C’s Patisserie & Tea House. Stop by for breakfast or lunch, but no need to leave right away. It stays open til 9 p.m., so it’s never too late to enjoy tea along with a sweet treat. 411 State St., lecsmadison.com

Looking Glass Bakery’s Cakes
In the dairy state, the only thing that might beat out cheese is cheesecake. Looking Glass Bakery has a long list of cheesecakes and cakes. A couple highlights are Brandy Old Fashioned Cheesecake and Chocolate Guinness Cheesecake that has a whiskey ganache topping and finished with Bailey’s Irish Cream Buttercream. If standard cake is more your style, the raspberry champagne cake is worth bring to a celebration with a raspberry jam filling and a champagne buttercream frosting. 100 S. Baldwin St., thelookingglassbakery.com

Madison Chocolate Co.’s Liquid Bourbon Caramels
Deciding between a sweet and salty treat can be tough. Luckily, Madison Chocolate Co. doesn’t make you choose. Its box of liquid bourbon caramel candies are made with award-winning bourbon from J. Henry and Sons, Wollersheim Distillery’s Bourbon and/or Dancing Goat Distillery’s Limousine Rye. The chocolate shop recently introduced a new flavor this month as well: Sun-dried Apricot truffle is a creamy milk chocolate ganache made with The Bitter Truth apricot liqueur and apricot jam. 729 Glenway St., madisonchocolatecompany.com

Nitty Gritty’s Spiked Milkshakes
Celebrate your birthday at the “Official Birthday Place” with a spiked milkshake. Nitty Gritty offers a number of gourmet shakes, including some vegan options. The Gourmet Shakes can have alcohol added, so you can choose from strawberry cheesecake, chocolate peanut butter, bananas foster, orange cream, Nutella Choctacular and mocha espresso for a boozy treat. 223 N. Frances St., ​​thegritty.com

Rosie’s Coffee Bar & Bakery’s Brandy Old Fashioned Cake
Before the Brandy Old Fashioned Cake became a hit at Rosie’s Coffee Bar & Bakery, the bakers made it for a wedding. The brandy and cherry flavors are soaked into the vanilla cake, not too strong but enough to taste the flavor. It’s topped with a maraschino Italian buttercream frosting and garnished with orange slices and maraschino cherries. You can customize a cake as well, and even ask for a sweeter buttercream. “I think that it’s worth trying because it is a unique, interesting flavor,” says baker Hayley Makela. “And if people really like a brandy Old-Fashioned drink, this is something that can pair well with it.” For a smaller, equally satisfying treat, the shop also occasionally makes a brandy old-fashioned cinnamon roll. 4604 Monona Drive, rosiescoffeebarandbakery.com