This 2-Ingredient PB&J Cocktail Is Calling Your Name

Peanut butter and jelly isn't just a childhood staple, but a dynamic sweet and savory duo that you can enjoy in everything from desserts to cocktails. And the tastiest PB&J cocktail only takes two ingredients: peanut butter whiskey and jelly or jam simple syrup.

While other infused spirits use artificial flavors, peanut butter whiskey is often made with real peanuts, peanut oil, and other peanut products, providing a very peanut-forward flavor. Plus, the nutty, buttery, savory taste of peanut butter overlaps with many common whisky tasting notes. And while Screwball is the most famous peanut butter whiskey, you can find plenty of other brands besides Screwball to make a PB&J cocktail. For the simple syrup, jelly or jam works well as both provide a burst of fruity flavor to infuse into water. Plus, after infusing the jam or jelly into bubbling water, you'll strain out any chunks of fruit or gelatin to get a thin, brightly colored liquid. To make the simple syrup, bring one part water to two parts jelly or jam to a boil, simmer and stir until the jam dissolves, then remove from the heat and strain it into a jar. A PB&J cocktail is an easy, shaker recipe consisting of 2 ounces of peanut butter whiskey and a tablespoon of jam simple syrup. Add both ingredients to a shaker with ice, shaking vigorously to blend before straining into a cocktail glass.

While a jam or jelly simple syrup is ideal for both sweetening and imparting a stronger fruit flavor into your cocktail, some recipes simply add a dollop of jam or jelly directly into the shaker with whiskey and ice. To that effect, you can make a jam jar cocktail, using up the leftover remnants of jam or jelly at the bottom of a jar, adding the peanut butter whiskey and ice directly to the jar, which will then serve as a shaker and serving glass. Jelly comes in countless flavors, and they're all delicious with peanut butter, whether you want a classic grape or strawberry, or you want to branch out with apricot or cherry.

A two-ingredient PB&J whiskey cocktail is as easy as it gets, but you can always make it a more elaborate cocktail with the addition of bitters and liqueurs. Not only will these ingredients bring more alcohol, but they'll also bring more depth of flavor to accentuate the peanut butter and fruit. For example, you can make a PB&J Old Fashioned with your favorite brand of bourbon, peanut butter liqueur, and fruit bitters. You could also add fruit bitters to a jam simple syrup and peanut butter whiskey cocktail for some extra fruitiness. Add orange bitters to a strawberry simple syrup and peanut butter whiskey cocktail, for example. The citrus and berries pair well together, and the bitters will balance the sweetness of the syrup.