Great Balls of Fire

When I was kid, my ultimate favorite candy was the spicy hot cinnamon jawbreaker. The bigger the better. For days I would work on one, reveling in the tongue-numbing heat and getting high on the sugar. Biting or grinding it was a no-no because it would accelerate its demise.

Imagine that intense flavor and add 33% alcohol and you get Dr. McGillicuddy's Fireball Whisky from New Orleans. I picked it up on a whim the other day, drawn to it by the name, the old time labeling, the cinnamon and the price (750 ml for a mere $18.95 CAD). Ice cold shooters go down both hot and cold. It has an even balance of whisky kick, spicy punch and soothing sweetness. I normally dislike whisky but this I can grow to love.

It has fired up my creativity as well as my tongue: I can see this folded into a sauce to be drizzled over ice cream. Or poured over sponge cake, or mixed into icing to be slathered on top of carrot cake squares. Maybe it would work in a decadent brownie batter or an apple pie filling. It might be nice over pancakes with syrup or in some fruit preserves. The possibilities are endless.