The One Ingredient Swap That Turns Regular S'mores Into A Luxurious (And Boozy) Treat

Leonardo's "Mona Lisa." Michelangelo's "David." S'mores. That's right, we consider this treat one of history's greatest works of art. Believed to have been invented by Loretta Scott Crew and first written about in a Girl Scouts magazine almost a century ago, it's  acombination so simple, yet so genius: crispy, crunchy, subtly spiced graham crackers; rich, bittersweet chocolate; and sugary, ooey-gooey marshmallow. Add the crisped char of a campfire — or a safely used torch or oven broiler if you're more a fan of the great indoors — and you've got heaven between two crackers. It's hard to believe s'mores could ever get any better. But they sure can.

It's not about messing with perfection, it's about getting creative and further upping the decadence factor. You can upgrade s'mores in a snap by swapping in different luxury ingredients. One of our favorite options is a little boozy: There are so many kinds of alcohol-infused chocolates and marshmallows, using one to make s'mores creates a more complex profile and can introduce unique, exciting flavors. We've rounded up all kinds of dreamy, boozy chocolates for Valentine's Day, but these sweets work any time of the year. 

Through them or through marshmallows, you can introduce to your s'mores flavors of red wine, bourbon, rum, or any number of indulgent liqueurs, from raspberry to coffee. There are even options including composed cocktails — imagine s'mores infused with the flavors of a classic old fashioned or dessert-esque white Russian. 

You'll need to stick to bars and not truffles for the purposes of stacking. From there, the sky's the limit. Ritual Chocolate collaborates with local, craft producers to make luxe bars like The Après Chocolate, infused with sparkling wine and raspberries, to give your s'mores a brighter, fruitier twist; there's also a Gin Juniper Lavender bar if you like floral flavors. 

Whiskey and chocolate always pair beautifully thanks to the former's signature notes of vanilla, caramel, molasses and dark fruits — some of the best whiskey-infused chocolate bars include Fruition's Hudson Bourbon Dark Milk 61% and Dick Taylor's Straight Bourbon Whiskey 70% Dark Chocolate. Dick Taylor also makes an Irish Coffee chocolate bar. For beer fans, Somerville Chocolate offers varieties like Beer Soaked Chocolate, Beer Fermented Dark Chocolate, and Hops Infused Dark Milk Chocolate. With a marshmallow, these beery bars would taste like a luscious cream stout.

You can DIY your own boozy marshmallows by roasting them and dunking them in Bailey's Irish Cream; you can also find mouthwatering varities like cherry amaretto or red wine marshmallows. Or buy Wondermade's Boozy Set of bourbon, Fireball, stout beer, and Irish cream 'mallows; or The Naked Marshmallow Co.'s marshmallows in Raspberry & Prosecco, Passion Fruit Martini, Elderflower & Gin, and Piña Colada. It's often easiest flavor-combo-wise to only swap in one boozy element, like bourbon chocolate with a plain marshmallow, or a piña colada 'mallow with a square of white chocolate to keep s'mores fruity, but of course you can get creative with pairings like gin-infused chocolate with gin marshmallows, bourbon chocolate with Fireball marshmallows, or Irish coffee chocolate with Irish cream marshmallows.