After a good meal, there’s always room for dessert to finish off the night. But some evenings just call for something stronger, preferably in a glass. Or better still, one of each. This October, bars and restaurants across the country have teamed up with Angel’s Envy to create cocktail-and-dessert pairings that make the decision easy.
Angel’s Envy is a Kentucky straight bourbon that’s built around a sweet finish. After it’s aged for up to six years in new charred American oak, the whisky has a special finale: up to six months resting in ruby port barrels. It’s there that it picks up its notes of ripe fruit, vanilla and toasted nuts, along with the silky, lingering finish that makes it such a natural match for dessert. The venues involved in the collab have taken this and run with it: from a matcha-cake-inspired cocktail to a technique-driven springtime dessert and drink pairing from ex-Gimlet bartenders.
Whether you’re after a strong nightcap before heading home or a sweet stop that keeps the party going, here are some cocktail-dessert pairings that are around for a good time, not a long time – so taste them while you can.
Sydney
Known for a stable of eclectic venues, the Odd Culture team says the freaks are welcome at Newtown’s Bistro Grenier. The bistro has dreamt up a decadent pairing just for October. Baxter Avenue is an elegant sipper mixing Angel’s Envy bourbon with fino sherry, ooray (Davidson’s) plum, cacao and chestnuts. It’s matched with a chocolate crémeux that’s deepened by a dash of bourbon and topped with orange tuile, sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
Matcha lovers should head to the swanky Whisky Thief in Japanese dining district Prefecture 48. Acclaimed cocktail bar Maybe Sammy is behind the drinks menu, and the latest addition is a silky, milk-clarified number where matcha and roasted hojicha play with the richness of Angel’s Envy bourbon. The cocktail is inspired by its matching dessert: a matcha Chantilly cake layered with hojicha crémeux and vanilla sea salt mousse from neighbouring patisserie Dear Florence.
Chocolate and bourbon go together like peanut butter and jam, and New York import Employees Only is here to prove it. The bar unites Angel’s Envy bourbon with chocolate liqueur and bitters, plus tawny port and Danish Cherry Heering liqueur to add nuttiness and acidity to the rich nightcap. The subterranean speakeasy’s triple-choc brownie with hazelnut and pineapple is a fitting pairing.
Melbourne
With over 250 American whisky bottles behind the bar, Goodwater is serious about quality spirits. Its latest cocktail invention takes a sunnier turn. La Scalinata (blending Angel’s Envy bourbon with vermouths and saffron-forward Strega liqueur) is bright with rhubarb and blood orange, and it’s served alongside a cannoli with a matching compote.
Theatrics are at the heart of 1930s-inspired CBD cocktail bar Nick & Nora’s, and its Angel’s Envy bourbon creation is no exception. Expect a modern take on an Old Fashioned – with accents of green apple, macadamia, Angostura and mole bitters, and cinnamon – that’s set alight tableside. Have it with caramelised pineapple cheesecake that’s shrouded in vapour clouds, thanks to a side of liquid-nitrogen-frozen coconut parfait.
Italo-American everything reigns supreme at Pepe’s Italian & Liquor. Crowd-favourite tiramisu is taken up a notch by Angels of Harlem, combining Angel’s Envy bourbon with dry vermouth, maraschino liqueur and chocolate liqueur, which gets a peppery kick from Aztec chocolate bitters. The combo will remain on the menu beyond October, until May 2027. Come dinnertime, you can order it in the quieter Pepe’s Parlour.
At Bar Bellamy, co-owner Oska Whitehart and bartender Giovanni Torresan – both ex-Gimlet – showcase their fine-dining chops with a pairing that’s a spin on the classic Whisky Mac. Angel’s Envy bourbon is sous-vided overnight in foraged magnolia blossoms and ginger tea, then mixed with two house-made brews: a nectarine mistelle fortified with osmanthus, nectarine and peach spirits; and a pickled-ginger-and-shiso liqueur.
The cocktail is topped with a flower-shaped gingerbread marshmallow and accompanied by an equally floral vanilla ice-cream laced with Earl Grey, bergamot and magnolia. It arrives dressed with apple caramel and a gingerbread crumble.
Brisbane
Newcomer Never Enough has also ventured into Old Fashioned territory. The Last Call cocktail ups the sweetness with molasses, alongside cherry and orange bitters. It’s a smooth tipple for grooving to vinyl sets and it complements the venue’s burnt Basque cheesecake with quince-and-nut praline.
The onyx bar at Cru Bar + Cellar usually houses an extensive wine list, but a boozy coffee-and-pastry combo also makes an appearance for October. Espresso Martinis get a deep bourbon base, while pecan profiteroles from the kitchen (led by chef Richard Ousby, formerly of Michelin-starred Waterside Inn) are stuffed with spiked caramel-praline filling.
However you like to end the night, a slow nightcap before the walk home or a sweet detour that keeps the evening going, these pairings prove the last course can be the best one. Most of these limited-edition pairings are only around until the end of October, so don’t leave it too late to taste them.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Angel’s Envy.
Produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Angel’s Envy.
Learn more about partner content on Broadsheet.
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