Shake It Up With A Boozy Chocolate Peanut-Butter Cup Milkshake

I don’t typically do dry January not because I don’t think you should take a break from indulging in rich food and drink but because I try to eat and drink in moderation every week. However I have many friends who attempt to do dry January. One of those friends came to dinner last Saturday night and when I asked him if he was still doing dry January he responded that he was doing damp January. 

I hadn’t heard that before and thought it was clever. He explained his personal definition of damp January. Once I learned that if the drink was considered dessert then it would be OK for him to drink it, there was nothing left to do but to make a boozy milkshake for dessert.

I had been looking for an excuse to make a chocolate peanut-butter cup milkshake for months; ever since I was introduced to Skrewball whiskey. I’m probably the last person to know about peanut butter plus whiskey, but as it turned out, it’s not as questionable as it sounds. As soon as I tried it, I thought to myself, this would be great in a boozy “blizzard”. 

Skrewball Whiskey is the brainchild of founders Steven and Brittany Yeng who created it after a popular cocktail—and the unlikely pairing of peanut butter and whiskey—created by Steven. The cocktail became so popular at Steven’s California bar and restaurant that co-founder and wife, Brittany who is a chemist and a lawyer, created the spirit. It was designed to capture and honor “our unconventional ode to different backgrounds, exotic flavors, and the seemingly disparate qualities that make us all unique and united. Here’s to the Skrewballs!” according to the couple. The flavored whiskey has a light peanut butter flavor that is a little sweet, and a little savory. The whiskey notes come through and it is surprisingly balanced and not too much or artificial tasting.

Luckily, I also had a bottle of Ballotin Chocolate Whiskey. Inspired by a love of bourbon and a passion for chocolate, the company was founded in 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky, “to produce elegant and delicious sipping whiskeys designed for flavor-craving friends, “ according to the brand. This chocolate whiskey also surprised me. It too, was well balanced with chocolate notes that registered as chocolate but it wasn’t too sweet and the whiskey still shined through. Incidentally, it also make a very good chocolate espresso martini. 

Now that I had my chocolate and my peanut butter booze, I only needed ice cream to make the milkshake. Most milkshake recipes add milk, but you don’t want to add milk because the whiskey is the liquid. If you want to make the shake even more delicious, and decadent, I  suggest adding peanut-butter cup candies. I use Reese’s because they happen to be my favorite and I have them on hand, but you could use any peanut-butter cups. Because I was making this for dessert, I also added a dollop of homemade whipped cream and decorated the top with Reese’s pieces.

Boozy Chocolate Peanut-Butter Cup Milkshake

The quantities in my recipe make a large 10-12 ounce milkshake. That is a large portion and I prefer to serve my boozy milkshakes in shot glasses as mini-shakes or shooters. In which case, this recipe makes about 5 servings because everyone usually comes back for a second one!

Makes 1 large milkshake or about 10 shots

2          ounces Ballotin Chocolate Whiskey

2          ounces Screwball (peanut butter) Whiskey

2-3      generous cups favorite vanilla ice cream, depending on how thick you like it

2          large peanut-butter cups, roughly chopped, optional 

            Whipped Cream

            Reese’s Pieces for garnish

Measure out the whiskeys and add to a blender jar/container. I use my smoothie container cup. Add the ice cream. If you like a thinner milkshake add less ice cream and if you like it thicker, add more ice cream. Finally, add the chopped candy if using. Blend on the smoothie setting until just smooth, being careful not to overblend—the more you blend, the thinner it will be.

You can also make this in advance and leave in the smoothie cup. Store closed upright in the freezer and give it a quick turn on the blender just before serving.