20 Great Booze-Infused Foods From Across America

Remember when we were young and so desperate to get a buzz that we'd brainstorm MacGuyver-esque schemes just to get our mitts on a beer or two? We were the masters of undercover imbibing, cleverly disguising our adult beverages as we creatively drank on the low. Now that we're full grown, we may not need to hide our alcoholic endeavors, but it doesn't mean it's not fun to sneak around every once in a while.

Enter booze-filled foods, something gastronomes and lushes alike can agree on. Imagine your favorite, already decadent foods made even more indulgent by the addition of your most lusted after adult beverage, whether it be beer, liquor, or even an entire cocktail.

The result? Two vices in one bite, and one utterly content and completely satisfied you. We know, you want to run out and hunt down some adult-treats right now, but you don't have to. We searched from NYC to Cali to find you new and boozy ways to get your grub on, so get to clicking through Complex's list of the nation's 20 Best Booze-Infused Foods. Just don't blame us when you leave hungry and thirsty.

Where: Flex Mussels
Address: 154 W. 13th St., New York

You read it right, Flex Mussels isn't a bake shop, it's a seafood joint, but after feasting on sea creatures, what better way to end the evening than feasting on a drunken donut? Pastry Chef Zac Young ensures a lush-ious close to your meal, churning out potent pastries oozing with Maker's Mark caramel or injected with White Russian, Blueberry Daiquiri, Tequila Lime, depending on the night. Rumor has it, Homer Simpson is ultra jealous.

Where: Waterzooi Belgian Bistro
Address: 850 Franklin Ave., Garden City, N.Y.

Only one thing goes with mussels better than bread: beer. Apparently, Waterzooi is on to this perfect pairing, because they've combined a classic summer beer, Blue Moon, with a pot full of fresh mussels, then topped the mixture with creamy fontina cheese. They call it the Foundue Moules. And if you're looking to take a break from beer (although we don't know why you would), Waterzooi is also serving up their signature mussels swimming in a champagne broth. You know, for when you want to keep it classy.

Where: Nunu Chocolates
Address: 529 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn

Pay the green fairy a visit on the low, with Nunu Chocolate's Absinthe Delight, a velvety anise-spiked ganache covered with dark chocolate. It might not be potent enough to have you hallucinating like Hemingway in the '20s, but its addictive absinthe flavor is just too good to be written off.

Where: Jane's Sweet Buns
Address: 102 St. Marks Place, New York

Jane is up to no good in this East Village bake shop, and by no good we mean lots of good. With an entire menu of cocktail-inspired concoctions, and buns ranging from savory (The Southern Special is made with bacon and bourbon) to sweet (The Rum Runner has aged rum, brown sugar, and Galliano, amongst other things), it seems Jane has all her boozy bases covered. And if you're looking for more than a single-serving treat, Jane is also whipping up entire alcoholic cakes, like the Harvey Wallbanger, a pound cake soaked in orange and Galliano.

Where: Sweetcakes
Address: 8425 Biscayne Blvd., Miami

If Diddy were in need of a sugar-high, Sweetcakes is where he would head to. Actually, we can't confirm that, but we do know that Sweetcake's Circoc Vodka Whoopie Pies are filled with a rasberry puree infused with a red berry vodka and topped with raspberry butter cream lush-ious enough to draw almost anybody in. And the best part? Sweetcakes makes customized drunken desserts and will inject Kahlua, Disarono, Godvia Liqour, Malibu, and even Courvoisier into any of their signature sweets, allowing you to pick your poison!

Where: Chief O'Neill's Pub and Restauraunt
Address: 3471 N Elston Ave., Chicago

Regardless of what the USDA has to say about it, at the very top of our food pyramid is one clutch component: cheese. And lots of it. Chief O'Neill's has got us more than covered on this one: Their Guinness Cheese Soup is drowning in an un-godly amount of cheddar and swimming in a Guinness broth. After you get drunk on the broth, follow up with their Guinness-marinated flank steak, which in case you were wondering, is also topped with melted cheese.

Where: The Federal Bar
Address: 5303 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood

This NoHo gastro-pub knows just what we want when we're sipping on bourbon at the bar: more bourbon. The Federal meets our great-bourbon expectations, with Wild Turkey Meatballs infused with enough booze to fill our appetite and quench our thirst. And, for nights with pints, the short ribs braised in bottles of IPA should make the ideal tipsy temptation.

Image by W.B. Fontenot

Where: Beercandy.com
Address: Availble online

Stout covered in the darkest of chocolate, IPA caramel drowning in white chocolate, and milk chocolately lager goodness, all in one box? There are many way to express love, and now beer can be counted as one of them. And the best part? These chocolates aren't just infused with a drop of beer or two, they contain full-on hoppy deliciousness. Feeling bold enough to go even hoppier? Beercandy is also cranking out Hopdrops (made with legit hop oil) and Beertaffy in IPA and Stout flavors, to give you the bitter bite you crave.

Where: Whip In Parlour Café
Address: 1950 IH-35 South, Austin, Texas

It might not be chili weather just yet, but that won't stop us from getting down on Beef & Beer Chili Curry, a mom-and-pop concoction straight from Austin, Tejas. Whip-In's famous chili combines the expected (caramelized onions, tender stewed beef, and zesty curry) with the unexpected (an entire bottle of Lonestar Beer) making for a boozy chili that will bring out the drunken cowboy in you.

Where: Euclid Hall
Address: 1317 14th St., Denver

Taking down an Irish Car bomb just became a little easier, thanks to the clever chef at Euclid Hall, Eric Dale. Dale created this Car Bomb Float by floating homemade Guinness ice cream in Bailey's infused chocolate seltzer and a side of Jameson-infused caramel, because, why not? And, the entire thing can be taken down with a straw, no more laborious dropping required. Lazy lushes, rejoice!

Where: Mrs. Murphy and Sons Irish Bistro
Address: 3905 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago

Mrs. Murphy and all her sons are doing right by us, taking one of our favorite dishes, BBQ ribs, and dropping a shot of whiskey into the already awesome sauce. Hop-hounds are also covered, as this dish is served up with a side of gooey Guinesss mac and cheese made with just enough brew to make the cheese in this mac extra rich and just right.

Where: Batch From Scratch
Address: Available online

Every once in a while, you want something more than milk to wash down baked goods. Something like an ice cold beer. When this urge strikes, head straight to Batch From Scratch (or their website, anyway), where you can find brownies and beer, together at last. Ester Kang, the owner/evil genius behind Batch From Scratch is whipping up Black & Tan Guinness Stout Brownies with an entire bottle of beer in each batch, making for a dark and unbelievably decadent brownie. And for good measure, each brownie is topped with butterscotch ganache, flakes of murray river pink salt and crunchy pretzels. We've found heaven.

Where: LaGrange
Address: 2704 Elm St., Dallas

Leave it to the Texans to pull a crazy move like this. Take a classic Southern cocktail as synonymous with the Kentucky Derby as oversized hats, and a dessert that inspires technicolor visions of carnivals and bring it back with a kick. That's what the clever folks at LaGrange did, and boy, are we thankful.

LaGrange's Mint Julep snowcone is made with freshly shaved ice and homemade simple syrup infused with Maker's Mark, which makes for the perfect track-side treat. Not a bourbon fan? Fret not, LaGrange has got you covered with Margarita (read: tequila) and Piña Colada (read: rum) varieties.

Where: The Familia Camarena Tequila Taco Truck
Address: Traveling the streets of Los Angeles

Food trucks hold a special place in our heart. But food trucks with tequila? It must be love. Camarena Tequila has been on the move in L.A., leaving a trail of smitten and slightly sauced followers in its wake. But they're not just serving up tequila, they're serving drunken tacos covered in various tequila infused proteins and agave-laden sauces. And the best part? These tacos won't set you back pesos, that's right NADA, because they're free! This heavenly taco truck has a limited run, and may stop its saintly service any day now. Next plane to L.A., anyone?

Where: Sweet Action Ice Cream
Address: 52 Broadway, Denver

Getting down on brews and ice cream at the same time? Sweet Action (our pick for the #17 Best Ice Cream Shop in the U.S.) is right! The evil geniuses behind Sweet Action Ice Cream decided to take chocolate ice cream up a notch and churned in a bottle of Fort Collins Brewery's Chocolate Stout along with it. The result? An ice cream cone that will get you licked.

Where: Rosa Mexicano
Address: Various (see website)

There are few things we enjoy more than a quality steak, but tequila might be one of them. Luckily, at Rosa Mexicano, we don't have to choose between the two. Rosa Mexicano's Filete Con Hongos (filet with mushrooms, for all you gringos) is smothered in a creamy mushroom sauce but it's not the jalapeños that give the sauce its kick-it's the two full shots of tequila. A filet mignon is indulgent in and of itself, but a tequila soaked steak? Rosa, you're too good to us.

Where: Diablo Royale
Address: 167 Ave. A, New York

If you need to cool off, and you're choosing between a popsicle and a pint, consider your decision made. The Tecate popsicle is everything you ever wanted on a stick, an entire can of Mexican beer injected with a little sweetness to take off the bitter edge without sacrificing the hoppy bite. Cooling off has never felt so good. And so drunk.

Where: High Road Craft Ice Cream
Address: Avaible online

Finally, a sorbet even Snoop Dog would approve of. High Road Craft Ice Cream has scored a major hit with gin & juice sorbet, which combines top-shelf gin and citrus juice for a treat that sounds like it should be taken down in the club. But when you're in a more tropical locale, the mai tai sorbet will suit your surroundings, or at least has enough rum to put you into a vacation state of mind.

Where: P.Y.T.
Address: 1050 N. Hancock St., Philidelphia

This burger joint knows how we like our beef: extra bloody with an extra-thick shake to wash it all down. But when Mojito Burgers are what's for dinner, a vanilla dessert won't cut it, which is why P.Y.T has an entire menu devoted to adult shakes. "The Juan Valdez" takes our favorite post-nosh spirit, Patron XO, and blends it up with Kahlua and chocolate ice cream for a blissful after-burger treat. But if vanilla is in fact your thing, "The Caucasian" has vanilla vodka and Kahlua, making it a far from basic choice.

Where: Smitten Kitchen
Address: Available online

Save yourself the messy hassle of dropping shot glasses into pints, and sink your teeth into a car bomb cupcake instead. Smitten Kitchen's take on this classic shooter combines all the elements you know, Bailey's Irish Cream, Guinness and Jameson's Irish Whiskey, with ingredients you love, namely chocolate. The result is a drunken chocolate cupcake with enough Bailey's in the frosting to get you frosted. Well, probably not, but these are still some damn good cupcakes.