Whiskey is surprisingly food-friendly, and this spirit goes great with a little bit of dessert — especially cookies. The end of the year is all about indulgence, and whether you’re attending a Christmas party or leaving a little something extra for Santa under the tree, you should forget milk and switch to whiskey instead. We’ve created a list of our favorite whiskey and cookie pairings, and there’s something for everyone on this list.
From American single malts to sherry-finished Scotch, these boozy pairings are a perfect way to experience a little bit of hedonism this holiday season. Read on for our favorite whiskey and cookie pairings.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chip cookies are simply iconic, and this household staple was invented in the 1930s by the owner of the Toll House Restaurant in Massachusetts, Ruth Graves Wakefield. These cookies are the most craved, according to surveys, and this cookie classic needs to be paired with a classic whiskey. There’s beauty in simplicity, after all. For the chocolate chip cookie’s perfect whiskey pairing, look no further than a higher-proof bourbon, like Booker’s.
In July, Booker’s released “By The Pond,” a blended bourbon that clocks in at 126.5 proof and has an average age statement of seven years. The brand shares that the bourbon possesses a vanilla-laden sweetness, with plenty of complexity. Booker’s is an example of a congruent pairing when it is matched with a chocolate chip cookie. Like pairing a chardonnay with a cream sauce because of its buttery and creamy flavors, Booker’s bourbon has a lot of flavor components that mirror the flavors of a chocolate chip cookie, making it the ideal whiskey pairing.
The bourbon’s vanilla qualities go with the vanilla and brown sugar flavors of the cookie dough. That kick of heat mirrors the subtle bite of chocolate chips, making this classic combination a match made in heaven.
Gingerbread
The next pairing on our list is all about spice. If you’re looking for the perfect whiskey to pair with freshly baked gingerbread, look no further than a big, bold, and spicy rye whiskey. All of the punchy, herbaceous cinnamon and wintergreen spice from this spirit matches the gingery kick of these cookies.
As far as rye recommendations, check out Frey Ranch’s rye whiskey. This 100-proof rye whiskey is made exclusively with Winter Cereal Rye from the Nevada-based whiskey farm. There’s no shortage of brash, gingery spice and molasses flavors in this pour. Frey Ranch’s rye whiskey has a modest average price of $58, according to Wine-Searcher.
For a more festive option, look no further than SirDavis, a celebrity whisky brand owned by none other than Beyoncé. Admittedly, celeb-owned brands usually give us pause… Yet the juice lives up to the hype.
The mind behind this dram is none other than Dr. Bill Lumsden, the “Einstein of scotch whisky,” who brought his talents to brands like Glenmorangie and Ardbeg. This rye whiskey is finished in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks, making it the perfect pour for Highland scotch fans or fans of fruit. SirDavis has a suggested price of approximately $89, and clocks in at 44% ABV.
Sugar Cookies
Light, airy, buttery, and flaky, sugar cookies grace the table at pretty much every single holiday party this time of year. It might seem like a bit of a challenge to find a whiskey to pair with these light, confectionery cookies, but they actually go quite well with wheat whiskey or wheated bourbons. Wheat whiskeys tend to have sweet, powdered sugar-driven aromas, and they are usually pretty easy drinking.
As far as wheated bourbons that we’d recommend, consider giving Mary Dowling Winter Wheat a try. This wheated bourbon spent time finishing in toasted bourbon barrels, and it was created to pay homage to the “Mother of Bourbon,” Mary Dowling, a woman well ahead of her time. The first woman to run a major distillery, Dowling ran Waterfill & Frazier in the early 1900s and guided the distillery through the trials and tribulations of Prohibition. This bourbon is lifted and high-toned, with powdered sugar, strawberries, and a kiss of cinnamon. Mary Dowling Winter Wheat has a modest suggested price of $54.
For a wheat whiskey, check out Middle West Cask Strength Wheat Whiskey. This craft brand out of Ohio is a love letter to the Midwest in liquid form. For the brand’s wheat whiskey, it uses soft red winter wheat from soils in Northern Ohio, and the brand claims this whiskey is similar to a single malt. On the nose, expect aromas of vanilla, cinnamon, and aged leather, according to the brand. The palate is full of baking spices, like nutmeg, and segues into a finish full of drizzled caramel.
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Chocolate and peanut butter aficionados are undoubtedly familiar with peanut butter blossoms. These cookies date back to 1957 and feature a distinctive peanut butter dough. A Hershey’s Kiss placed in the middle of the cookie serves as the piece de resistance. Though many might think the cookie was invented to sell more Hershey’s kisses, its origin story is actually quite wholesome.
According to Quaint Cooking, these cookies were created by an Ohio woman named Freda Smith for a Pillsbury Bake-Off. The contest was held in Beverly Hills, California, and Ronald Reagan was one of the special guests at the event. Smith’s peanut butter blossoms did not win the grand prize, but she was crowned the Senior Grand National Winner of the Cookie Division.
Interestingly enough, Smith almost didn’t make these legendary peanut butter cookies for the contest — she thought they were too boring. She made them the night before the competition for her grandson and added a Hershey’s kiss in the middle. Smith claimed the cookies looked like Black Eyed Susans and decided to make them for the competition on a whim. The rest is history.
We recommend pairing these ubiquitous Christmas cookies with Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon. This Heaven Hill-owned bourbon brand drops three times a year, and though the releases vary, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof definitely possesses a peanut butter throughline. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof clocks in at a different proof per release, but the suggested price typically hovers around $69 to $79.00.
Russian Tea Cakes & American Single Malt
Whether you call them Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies, these distinctively nutty cookies resembling snowballs are plenty festive. Sometimes, Russian Tea Cakes are filled with chopped nuts, yet regardless of the recipe, these cookies are renowned for their distinctively melt-in-your-mouth texture.
That nuttiness pairs well with an American Single Malt. This increasingly popular style of whiskey is composed of a mashbill derived from 100% malted barley. After several years, the category was finally ratified by the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau in 2024. Though American Single Malts are diverse, they typically offer up aromas and flavors of brown bread and skew towards the savory end of the spectrum.
Consider giving Minden Mill’s American Single Malt. This Nevada distillery specializes in estate grown whiskeys, and its American Single Malt costs a modest $59.99. Clocking in at 47% ABV, this whiskey offers a rich profile of brown bread flavors, complemented by nutty and savory notes. Its subtle complexity won’t overpower the delicate flavors of the Russian Tea Cakes, making it one of our favorite whiskey and cookie pairings.
Jam Thumbprints
These fruity and buttery cookies are the quintessential holiday staple. Their shortbread base makes them relatively easy to bake. As far as whisky pairings are concerned, we suggest pairing jam thumbprints with a sherry or port cask-finished Scotch or rye whiskey. Sherry and port casks often imbue whiskies with a fruity quality, making this type of whisky a jam thumbprint’s perfect companion.
For an American craft option, consider pairing these cookies with Cedar Ridge’s Rye whiskey finished in port casks. We fell in love with this Iowa rye’s big, chocolate confectionery notes and dark chocolate-covered cherry flavors that jumped out of the glass. All that bold and sweet fruit makes Cedar Ridge Port Finished Rye a great pairing for jam thumbprints.
If you’re thinking about a scotch for this pairing, look no further than Aberlour’s 16 Year Old Double Cask Matured Scotch whisky. This Speyside brand’s calling card is finishing its whiskies in Oloroso sherry casks, and the process imbues the liquid with flavors of plum and raisin, according to the brand. Aberlour’s 16 Year Old scotch has an ABV of 40%, and an average price of $126 according to Wine-Searcher.
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