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Bourbon Butterscotch Sauce

Adapted from Big Gay Ice Cream by Bryan Petroff and Doug Quint
This makes a big batch of sauce. But in case you’re not running an ice cream truck, feel free to cut it in half. It’s really wonderful spooned over – well, everything. Even spooned up right out of the bowl once it’s cooled down. For those who’d like to try it with another liquor, dark rum or another favorite could take it in a different direction. For those wanting to omit the alcohol, you can add a vanilla bean split lengthwise in addition to the vanilla extract. A splash more cream (or water) might be necessary at the end, to thin it out. Sauces such as this tend to boil up, so although Doug used a large saucepan, I recommend a bigger pot, such as a Dutch oven. And watch it closely while it cooks. If it threatens to boil up and over, remove it from the heat and let it simmer down before continuing to cook it further.
  • 8 ounces (225g) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 pound (2¼ packed cups, 450g) dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) dark corn syrup, or rice, malt, or golden syrup
  • 1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea or kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) bourbon, plus additional for finishing the sauce
  • In a large pot, heat the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream, salt, vanilla and ½ cup bourbon, stirring until smooth. Continue to cook the sauce over medium-low heat, stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula, until the brown sugar has melted. Continue cooking for about 15 minutes, watching it carefully and stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and reduced. It’s done when the sauce is thick enough to coat a spatula when you lift it.
  • Remove from heat and when it’s cooled down enough to taste, add additional bourbon, and more salt if necessary, to taste.

Notes

Adding bourbon to very hot butterscotch may cause it to boil up so it’s best to wait until it’s cooled down a bit. And you don’t want to burn your tongue, so please be patient – although I know it’s hard. Serving and Storage: Serve warm over ice cream. The butterscotch sauce can be refrigerated for up to two weeks. Rewarm over low heat in a saucepan, stirring constantly.