# Say you're making penne with vodka sauce and you're out of vodka.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** liquor-alcohol
**Created:** [October 20, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427 "2009-10-20T02:39:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/1 "2009-10-20T02:39:55Z")
And you don’t realize it until you’re halfway done. “Did you take the rest of the vodka?!” “Yeah, you told me to!” “I forgot, and plus I didn’t mean it!”
So, I panicked and threw in some bourbon, which is probably a mistake. I understand that the point of the vodka is to make the flavors more intense, not to taste like vodka, and there are already plenty of flavors in my sauce - I use a bunch of pancetta, fry it up with some butter, throw in the vodka and cook it down, then add tomato sauce and cream. Delicious.
So, I think the bourbon is probably going to be a little weird - I thought about sherry but decided that the pancetta and cream and all are already kind of sweet to start with… I dunno.
What SHOULD I have used? We have just about every other kind of liquor, plus a generally well-stocked kitchen.
---
### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/2 "2009-10-20T02:49:45Z")
Vermouth. Maybe. I don’t know how it would pair with the cream, but it’s lovely in a marinara.
---
### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/3 "2009-10-20T03:46:33Z")
Well, bourbon is _okay_, but the flavor is a little duller, less exciting, than vodka IMHO.
---
### Author:  [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/4 "2009-10-20T08:03:53Z")
I’d second Vermouth, it’s what I use in my risottos.
---
### Author:  [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/5 "2009-10-20T17:13:11Z")
You could probably have gotten away with a good dash of any decent red wine.
---
### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/6 "2009-10-20T17:26:21Z")
What about gin? Surely its flavors aren’t going to be any less complimentary than bourbon in a cream sauce.
---
### Author:  [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/7 "2009-10-20T18:26:24Z")
I second the motion for gin. It’s a fairly neutral spirit like vodka, so it wouldn’t add a new flavour to the sauce so much as just punch up the ones that are already there.
In a pinch, vermouth would do, but only if it’s the dry white kind… sweet red or sweet white would be a no-no. I keep dry vermouth on hand as my default cooking booze, actually.
---
### Author:  [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/8 "2009-10-20T18:38:18Z")
> [@Munch](#):
>
> What about gin? Surely its flavors aren’t going to be any less complimentary than bourbon in a cream sauce.
Bourbon tastes good. Probably wouldn’t hurt a cream sauce too much.
Gin tastes like pine needles, which would be opposite of what I’d want in a cream sauce.
Vermouth would have been my substitute, or a bit of wine.
---
### Author:  [@Loisseau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loisseau)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/9 "2009-10-20T19:08:17Z")
I’d have sauted some shallots and garlic in with the pancetta after a bit, then added some chardonnay, cooked it down, then added tomato sauce and cream.
Pan sear some scallops or shrimp, or a panko coated herbed chicken breast, serve with a little penne, and a green salad and you’re good to go.
Or eat a bowl of it plain!
---
### Author:  [@Dr.Righteous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Righteous)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/10 "2009-10-20T20:23:58Z")
> [@Zsofia](#):
>
> So, I think the bourbon is probably going to be a little weird - I thought about sherry but decided that the pancetta and cream and all are already kind of sweet to start with… I dunno.
Depends on the sherry you have. A Fino or Manzanilla would be just fine, Amontillado would probably be ok, but an Oloroso or PX would not work at all.
---
### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/11 "2009-10-20T20:51:56Z")
Lesson learned. _Never_ run out of vodka. 😃
---
### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/12 "2009-10-20T20:56:55Z")
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> Lesson learned. _Never_ run out of vodka. 😃
That’s harder than it sounds. To help, try keeping a small bottle of crap vodka around. It’ll be fine for cooking, and it’ll be a punishment if you’re forced to drink it.
---
### Author:  [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/13 "2009-10-20T21:02:05Z")
Lunch place I used to frequent in midtown used to always make this dish with tequila. It was on my weekly rotation.
ETA: America’s Test Kitchen / Cook’s Illustrated tested this dish with a variety of vodkas, and the cheap vodkas were a clear loser. Their conclusion was that it was not fine for cooking this dish, and that the cook is better off with a quality vodka.
---
### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/14 "2009-10-20T21:32:58Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#):
>
> ETA: America’s Test Kitchen / Cook’s Illustrated tested this dish with a variety of vodkas, and the cheap vodkas were a clear loser. Their conclusion was that it was not fine for cooking this dish, and that the cook is better off with a quality vodka.
Yeah, but who can cook with Grey Goose all the time? 😃
---
### Author:  [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/15 "2009-10-20T21:38:28Z")
> [@Munch](#):
>
> That’s harder than it sounds. To help, try keeping a small bottle of crap vodka around. It’ll be fine for cooking, and it’ll be a punishment if you’re forced to drink it.
No it’s not. When I first moved to Minnesota I was a little concerned about the probability of me not being able to obtain emergency booze since liquor stores are not open on Sunday. What I’ve learned is to stock up. If you have only two litres of your favorite liquor, go to the store and buy more immediately. 'Cause once you’re out of one liter, you’ve only one left.
---
### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/16 "2009-10-20T21:56:35Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#):
>
> 'Cause once you’re out of one liter, you’ve only one left.
QFT.
But it **can** get you looks from the guys at Bevmo. Sunday we stopped by and picked up a bottle of this year’s Old Forester Birthday bourbon. Cracked it that night and loved it so much that we went back for a back-up bottle yesterday (it’s a limited release). The same clerk checked us out, and I could see he was wondering if we had killed the whole bottle in one night. 😃
---
### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/17 "2009-10-20T23:46:41Z")
> [@butler1850](#):
>
> Gin tastes like pine needles, which would be opposite of what I’d want in a cream sauce.
Yeah, I don’t think gin is neutral at all. For the longest time, it was pretty much the only spirit I couldn’t drink because I just couldn’t stand the strong juniper/pine flavor. I’ve since come around, but I can’t imagine it being good in a cream sauce, unless you’re using it for something that normally pairs well with juniper like game dishes, pork, or sauerkraut.
---
### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/18 "2009-10-21T00:40:06Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#):
>
> ETA: America’s Test Kitchen / Cook’s Illustrated tested this dish with a variety of vodkas, and the cheap vodkas were a clear loser.
Good to hear. I’m a pretty big ATK disciple, so I shoulda known!
---
### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2009, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/19 "2009-10-21T01:17:18Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Yeah, I don’t think gin is neutral at all. For the longest time, it was pretty much the only spirit I couldn’t drink because I just couldn’t stand the strong juniper/pine flavor. I’ve since come around, but I can’t imagine it being good in a cream sauce, unless you’re using it for something that normally pairs well with juniper like game dishes, pork, or sauerkraut.
I make an awesome bratwurst saurkraut crock pot dish with gin in it. Mmm. I think it’s that time of the year again. 🙂
But yeah, no gin with pancetta and cream.
---
### Author:  [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2009, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427/20 "2009-10-21T08:32:24Z")
> [@butler1850](#):
>
> Gin tastes like pine needles, which would be opposite of what I’d want in a cream sauce.
Thank you! I was running low on booze and considered opening some random gin we had and smelled a pine tree! I was wondering if it had gone bad but I guess that’s just the way it smells.
I would suggest brandy. I don’t think alcohol really adds anything to food except when drinking it, but brandy has the wineness that goes with pasta with a bit extra alcohol for whatever people thinks that adds…
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-youre-making-penne-with-vodka-sauce-and-youre-out-of-vodka/514427.md?page=2)