These luscious little bourbon meatballs are going to be the hit of your next cocktail party ~ people will flock to the meatballs, but they’ll hang around for the sauce!!
bourbon meatballs ~ appetizers or dinner?
I have to confess, although these bourbon meatballs are clearly meant to be appetizers, in our family we just as often make a meal out of them. Last night we had them with mashed potatoes and peas ~ so good! The meatballs themselves are moist and tender because I use a combination of ground beef and ground pork. The pork gives the meatballs great flavor, but also keeps them from being dense. I lighten them up even more with my favorite secret ingredient, Ritz cracker crumbs!
The bourbon sauce is worth the price of admission
It’s thick and glossy, with a hefty dose of bourbon. It’s also got that classic cocktail meatball combo of sweet and tangy, thanks to apricot jam and barbecue sauce. Oh, and there’s a hint of heat from sriracha. Just typing out those ingredients has got my mouth watering.
which bourbon is best for spiked meatballs?
Since Grant drinks Manhattans we always have bourbon and rye whiskey around, and you can use either for the sauce in this recipe. But even if you don’t drink on a regular basis, it’s a good idea to keep certain spirits in your pantry. Makers Mark is the brand we use, but any bourbon you like will work in this recipe.
I’ve probably made a gazillion meatballs in my career
I’ve spiked them, super-sized them, and even made them with zucchini. I’ve drawn inspiration from all over the globe, too, with my Swedish Cocktail Meatballs, my Greek Meatballs in Lemon Sauce, and my Moroccan Cardamom and Lemon Meatballs. But it seems to me there’s something uniquely American about these mini cocktail meatballs slathered in a thick bourbon sauce, I’m going to claim these bourbon meatballs for the homeland.
tips for making bourbon meatballs
- Consider using your stand mixer to mix meatballs and meatloaf. It saves dirtying your hands, and the machine does an efficient but gentle job blending the ingredients.
- This recipe makes approximately 60 meatballs, so enough for a crowd. But they also freeze well, so you can use half the batch and freeze the rest if you’re not in party mode.
- The meatballs can be frozen either cooked, or uncooked. Freeze them on a tray in a single layer until solid, and then transfer to a thick freezer bag or container.
- If you don’t normally stock a full bar, I like to collect mini airline sized bottles of various spirits so they’re on hand when the need arises. Who knows when a stew might need a shot of cognac, or a frosting could use a touch of Kahlua?
Featured comment:
These have got to be the best meatballs I have ever tasted. It is an awesome recipe. Made these for a Kentucky Derby party and they didn’t last to see the race!!! I made mine and then placed them in a crockpot on low, to keep them warm for the party. Absolutely a 5 star recipe. Used the extra meat for the bourbon glazed meatloaf!!!!! Will use this throughout the year. ~Lynn
craving more classic appetizers?
- How to Make a Relish Tray
- Hot Crab Dip
- Crispy Crab Balls
- Boursin Stuffed Mushrooms
- Easy Hot Pepper Jelly Recipe
Bourbon Meatballs
Video
Ingredients
meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- ½ cup (1 sleeve,) finely crushed Ritz Cracker crumbs (you can use plain bread crumbs)
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- ½ teaspoon salt
- lots of fresh cracked pepper
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, for browning the meatballs
Bourbon Sauce
- 1 cup apricot preserves
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp hot chili sauce, use mild chili sauce if you can’t take the heat
- ½ cup bourbon
- ½ cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
- 1 Tbsp molasses
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Put the meatball ingredients, except the olive oil, in a large mixing bowl, breaking up the meat as you put it in. Mix together, using the tips of your fingers to gently combine everything without compacting the meat. I like to do this in my stand mixer.
- Form into small 1″ balls, I use a small scoop to make them nice and uniform.
- Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and brown the meatballs, working in batches. Transfer the meatballs to a baking sheet, and bake for about 10 minutes, until cooked through. (Check with a thermometer, it should read 160 degrees)
- To make the sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients in a skillet and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes until thick.
- Place cooked meatballs into the sauce, and let heat through until ready to serve. Serve on a plate with toothpicks, a drizzle of sauce, and lots of napkins. Serve a bowl of sauce on the side for extra dipping.
Notes
- If you need to reheat these meatballs, do it gently. I put the meatballs in their sauce, cover with foil, and heat in a 350F oven until bubbling. If you do it on the stove, do it over medium heat, and just bring them to a simmer.
Nutrition
Made these last week for a work function and they were AWESOME!! Made them Sunday, had some for dinner with mashed potatoes and carrots. The extra sauce on the potatoes was perfect! Warmed them in the crock pot the next day for work and they were nearly as good as the night before. This will certainly be something I make for dinner regularly now!
Yay, and I can’t think of a better dinner! I really appreciate you taking the time to come back and leave a comment Ashlee <3
I made these for a cocktail party last night and they were a huge hit! There were no leftovers and my boyfriend wouldn’t allow me to dispense of the remaining sauce.
Haha, that sauce is liquid gold 🙂
What type of hot chili sauce? Sriracha? Tabasco? Thanks!
You an use whatever you like, Shannon, I usually have sriracha in my fridge.
Please help me. I cannot seem to pull up the recipe for “Its 5 o’clock somewhere bourbon cocktail meatballs.” I can see the ingredients, but when I click on “make it”, I just see the comments- no recipe. It’s so frustrating. I am relatively new to Pintrest, so I must be doing something wrong.
I’m not sure what you mean Jj, because you’re on the post right now…but I’ll email it to you.
SUE! This sounds crazy amazing. I’m adding them to my Christmas Cocktail Party, appetizer list!
Would these be still good if I cooked the meatballs a day in advance?
I’m afraid they would not be as good, Lara, because cooked ground meat doesn’t keep very well, it gets dense and tough. You could form the meatballs ahead if you like.
Actually, I made these a day in advance, reheated them in the slow cooker and they were just as good as when they were freshly made. Set your slow cooker to warm and let them reheat for at least an hour.
Sorry if this has already been asked… but can I use frozen meatballs?? Yours look divine but I need to save on time 🙂 Thanks!!
I haven’t tried it myself, Jenny, but you certainly could just add the sauce to the pre-made meatballs.
The Friends of the Library have an annual mini-golf in the library fundraiser and this year we are adding an adult evening wine/beer tasting. This will be a perfect recipe for me to make–it makes a lot with an affordable amount of ingredients. Thank you.
I like your idea of appetizers on Fridays. If I lived alone, this is how I would eat. I do buy nips at different times when I am trying a recipe. I love the mini sized bottles that a lot of the liqueurs come in.
I think these would be perfect, and they don’t have to be super hot when you serve them. The only thing I would say is that meatballs, especially small meatballs, don’t do too well if made far in advance, they tend to get tough in the fridge. So I would make them just before the event! Enjoy!
I definately have to try these for the Super Bowl Party
What kind of BBQ sauce did you use? Also, when you say this recipe makes “lots”, about how many is that? Trying to plan ahead for a party. Need to know if I should double this.