If you’re a fan of bourbon , or just tasty food and drink, be sure to check out today’s column (http://bit.ly/OG2F8s) sharing my adventures in the kitchen mixing up a fancy bourbon punch — seriously, it’s called Fancy Bourbon Punch — and a bourbon blueberry cream cheese pie.

I never would’ve dreamed up either recipe, but both were nice, so thanks to my friends at Maker’s Mark for suggesting I try them. And for the big bottle of liquid gold they sent so I could do so!

The pie recipe made the paper, but below are recipes for the punch and bourbon-spiked burgers that would be awesome on the grill. Enjoy!

Fancy Bourbon Punch

1 liter Maker’s Mark bourbon
1 cup granulated sugar
Peels of 3 lemons and 1 orange
Juice of peeled fruit
1 liter of strong tea (preferably green tea)
250 ml champagne or club soda
Freshly grated nutmeg 

1. Combine sugar and citrus peels in the bottom of a punch bowl. Muddle together until sugar starts to clump together. Let sit for about 2 hours.
2. Brew the tea for about 30 minutes, remove loose tea or tea bags, and allow to cool. Add the juice of the peeled fruit, tea and bourbon. Stir.
3. Top with champagne just before serving and stir gently. Top with freshly grated nutmeg and serve.

Recipe by Matt Wallace, Seven Grand

Maker’s Mark Kobe Beef Burger

4 six-ounceKobebeef hamburger patties (or regular ground beef)
½ cup plus 2 tsp. Maker’s Mark bourbon
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 pieces plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
2 tsp. fresh thyme, minced
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 large onions, cut in half and thinly sliced with the grain
salt and black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
4 soft hamburger buns, brioche preferably 

1. Marinate patties in shallow baking dish with ½ cup of bourbon. Sprinkle patties with ¼ of the minced garlic. Refrigerate for two hours, then flip the patties and sprinkle with another ¼ of the garlic. Refrigerate another two hours.
2. While burgers are marinating, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place cut tomato halves on a parchment lined sheet tray, cut side up. Brush tomatoes lightly with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, thyme and remaining garlic. Place in the oven and allow tomatoes to slow roast for about 1½-2 hours until they are slightly dehydrated and begin to color. Once tomatoes have cooled, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of bourbon over them and refrigerate until needed.
3. While tomatoes are cooking, caramelize the onions. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add vegetable oil and onions to pan. Season onions with salt and cook until they begin to soften, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes more until they begin to break down more and color slightly.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook onions, stirring occasionally, for roughly 2 hours, or until the onions caramelize deep golden brown. Add water to the pan as necessary if the onions begin to stick. Once onions are cooked, transfer to a small container and stir in 1 teaspoon of bourbon. Refrigerate until needed.
5. Heat the grill, grill pan or griddle to high heat. Remove burgers from marinade, lightly brush both sides with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Cook your burgers to desired doneness. To assemble, lightly toast bun if desired. Add the burger patty and top with caramelized onions and two pieces of tomatoes.

Recipe by Hiassam and Ali Beydoun, Frites ‘N’ Meats