Four days ago, the Brooklyn Booze Experiment rolled into the Bell House for a culinary cook-off with a spirited twist. Home chefs thrilled the audience with booze-inspired dishes that included Bourbon Braised Short Rib, Pork Pops with Rye Whiskey Sauce, and Pecan Pie with Vanilla Bourbon Ice Cream. offManhattan was there to interview four talented female chefs about their favorite places to drink and eat when they aren’t busy in the kitchen.
And for your own cooking-while-intoxicated pleasure, we also managed to finagle two of the winning recipes just for you (shhh, don’t tell!). If you missed the event, The Food Experiments is about to kick off a Brooklyn Brewery-sponsored national tour with stops in Austin, New Orleans, DC, Philly, Boston, and a finale in Brooklyn. “It’s great to be able to promote the home chef, the architects and lawyers who pour soul into their dishes,” said co-host Nick Suarez. “We’ll be supporting and bringing locals together in each community we visit. One of the awards in Austin is a pork party for 10 people.”
The Recipes Brooklyn Booze Experiment Desserts
Andrew’s Bourbon Soaked Cherries
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The Home Chef: Ashley Sobeck
What She Drunkingly Cooked: Ole McMole Mexican Beer Braised Chicken “Tacos” Topped with a Guinness-Spiked Mole Sauce
Where She Drinks (and Eats): “PJ Finnegan’s in Westwood, New Jersey is a great neighborhood pub that occasionally has bagpipers. They have the best Guinness pour on the planet; it has a Shamrock on top. The Red Reuben is to die for.”
The Home Chef: Roopa Kalyanaraman Marcello (1st prize, judges award)
What She Drunkingly Cooked: Donuts
Where She Drinks (and Eats): “I’m a fan of the Buttermilk Channel’s dedicated vegetarian menu. Instead of fried chicken they do fried mushrooms with Brussels sprouts on waffles. It’s delicious. I love Dirt Candy in the East Village. They have the best vegetarian dishes and I love that each one focuses on a single ingredient. If the dish is based on corn, it’s featured in a variety of ways, not just as one component of the dish. The place will convert carnivores. I also love Chestnut in Brooklyn. I had my wedding rehearsal there.”
The Home Chef: Maria
What She Drunkingly Cooked: Irish Soda Bread and Rum-soaked Raisins
Where She Drinks (and Eats): “When I lived in Park Slope, I loved to go to O’Connor’s, which sadly I hear is losing its dive bar charms. The 4th Avenue pub in Boerum Hill has a fun outdoor space, big draft selection. It’s dog-friendly and there’s free popcorn. Now I live in Washington D.C., and there’s a phenomenal bar that just opened up called St Arnold’s on Jefferson. The owners, Mark and Paul, also bar tend, which is rare to see. Order the Belgian waffles and mussels. So good. I can’t believe I just told you about this place.”
The Home Chef: Sabrina Mossberg (1st prize, audience award)
What She Drunkingly Cooked: Bourbon braised short rib with crispy roasted kale chips and pickled watermelon rinds
Where She Drinks (and Eats): “I love the Frying Pan in Manhattan. And in this borough, The Brooklyn Inn, Building on Bond, Luckydog, Matchless, and Enid’s are the best bars all around.”
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram