Give Your Cocktail A Sweet Upgrade With One Unexpected Addition

Elevating your gastronomic game is one thing, but when you really want to impress a crowd, you can't go wrong with booze. Jazzed-up cocktails are a terrific way to turn a social lubricant into a tempting conversation starter. And if you're looking for something out of left field to upgrade spirited beverages at your next get-together, look no further than birthday cake mix.

Before you dismiss this as just another disappointing TikTok cocktail, we spoke with an expert who says it can be delightful. JP Hernandez is the lead mixologist at Koval Distillery, and when we first mentioned using birthday cake mix as a cocktail ingredient, he seemed to be a little on the fence. "Birthday cake mix can impart that pleasant, simple vanilla flavor we all know and love, but it is a nightmare for texture," he said. "I feel pretty confident saying no one wants to add a scoop of flour to their cocktail if they have any power to avoid it, because it adds a rather unpleasant sliminess if just mixed in."

However, Hernandez went on to explain that, with a little TLC, you can get all that confectionary flavor with none of the muddiness or grit. He said, "The best way would be to infuse for a day in your choice of spirit, and then filter, then make whatever cocktail as you would normally." This way, you're going for more of an essence of birthday cake rather than deconstructing a food into a beverage. As for the best type of spirit to use, Hernandez said, "When I think of the cake notes, I think approachable vanilla with the lightest flavor of grain from the flour. Because of this, I say it can go well with a vanilla-forward whiskey."

Anyone can whip together a whiskey smash or a whiskey sour, but when you tell people you infused whiskey with birthday cake mix, you are bound to turn some heads. As for what to make with it, JP Hernandez had an elegant suggestion that utilizes ingredients which highlight both the vanilla notes of birthday cake and the subtle fruity hints in whiskey. "I'd make the batter per box ingredients (sans egg) and add in a bottle of KOVAL Bourbon," he said. After filtering out the store-bought mix, "Then I'd take one ounce of my birthday cake whiskey, one ounce of Frangelico, and four dashes of cherry vanilla bark bitters in a mixing glass, stir over ice, double strain into a Nick and Nora glass."

If bourbon just isn't your thing, vodka works too, and even whiskey lovers might be more enticed with Hernandez's next sweet approach. "I'd make a milkshake with birthday cake batter and vanilla ice cream and add a shot or two of vodka," he said. "Easy enough and anyone would drink it, but I wouldn't put that on the menu of my cocktail bar."

Of course, you should always garnish a cocktail, and Hernandez had just the thing to accent the birthday cake vibes for either mixed drink. "Sprinkles do a lot visually; you could rim a glass with rainbow ones, with melted white chocolate to adhere," he said. If you really want to go the extra mile, "Maybe stabilize some whipped cream and pipe it on with frosting tips to actually look like cake, but I wouldn't do real frosting as that's too heavy."