If you have ever asked yourself, “Can I make a vodka pie dough and use bourbon in place of vodka?” The answer is yes. Yes, you can. 

The original vodka pie dough recipe, published by Cook’s Illustrated in 2007 (RIP), was created because vodka, with its high alcohol content, adds moisture to the dough without aiding in the formation of gluten. 

Less gluten formation = a flakier pie crust. Vodka is also used in place of water (which is very good at helping to form gluten) because it is flavorless, so it doesn’t interfere with the taste of the pie filling. 

What interferes with the taste of bourbon? Right, nothing! But what tastes even better than flaky pie dough and a perfect pecan filling? A flaky pie crust laced with the scent of bourbon. This winning combo doesn’t stop at sweet pies. Earlier this year, I made an herby mushroom chicken pot pie in a cast iron skillet with the same bourbon pie crust when my friend Bonnie was visiting from NYC. We ate the whole thing in one sitting. 

Delightful pairings aside, the odds are much higher that I will have a bottle of bourbon in the house than one of vodka, so this super flaky pie crust is way more likely to happen in my kitchen. If you wince at the thought of dumping a quarter cup of the good stuff into a pie dough (who wouldn’t?), fear not. This recipe works with any 40 proof bourbon in your budget. 

For big pies and hand pies, I lean heavily on Emily Hilliard’s butter, vinegar and egg pie crust recipe because it is so easy to work with and yields a very flaky crust. The Cook’s Illustrated recipe for vodka pie crust uses both butter and shortening, but I don’t tend to keep shortening in the house. So this recipe here swaps iced bourbon for the water in Emily’s failproof all-butter pie dough for a majorly flaky pie crust situation laced with my favorite spirit. 

The recipe calls for a quarter cup of iced bourbon. The best way to get that bourbon ready for your dough is to pour about a half-cup into a nice glass with a few cubes of ice as you are cutting the butter. Sip on bourbon until just before it should be mixed with the egg and vinegar. Measure out a fourth of a cup and keep the rest to drink as you make the dough. 

Cheers, y’all!

Bourbon Pie Crust Ingredients

• 2 cups (241g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons, 170g) cold unsalted butter

• 1 1/2 teaspoons cold apple cider vinegar

• 1 large egg, beaten, divided (save half for brushing on the top crust)

• 1/4 cup (57g) ice-cold 40-proof bourbon

• a separate cup of ice water, in case the dough is dry after combining all ingredients

Pie Dough Directions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in the butter. You want to make sure some chunks of butter about the size of your thumbnail remain intact, as that's what makes the crust flaky.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together half an egg with bourbon and vinegar, and pour into the flour/butter mixture. Mix until the dough just begins to come together (it should still be a little shaggy). Divide the dough into two pieces and form it into two disks about an inch thick. If the dough seems very dry, dip your finger in the ice water and rub it on the dry parts of the disc of dough and press it together. Wrap tightly and chill for at least an hour before rolling out.

Roll out the pie crust according to the directions in your filling recipe.