King cakes and alcohol are never in short supply during Mardi Gras season. It’s part of what we love about this time of year. So, we’ve paired five of our favorite king cake fillings with the Louisiana-made beer or spirit that best brings out their flavors:
Cinnamon-pecan and praline pecan liqueur
Nothing complements a cinnamon-pecan king cake like a shot of Evangeline’s Praline Pecan Liqueur, whether poured in a cup of coffee, mixed in a cocktail or served on the rocks. Hints of maple syrup and pecan in the liqueur enhance the warmth of the cinnamon and the nuttiness of the pecans in the filling.
Chocolate and coffee stout
Chocolate king cake meets its match in Citeaux, a coffee-oatmeal stout from Southern Craft Brewing Co. Made with coffee beans from Baton Rouge-based Cafeciteaux Coffee Roasters, the subtle toffee and chocolate flavors of this stout add dimension to a decadent chocolate filling.
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Bananas foster and spiced rum
Cane Land Distilling Co. infuses hints of Seville orange, vanilla and raw sugar into its Parade Spiced Rum, which makes it the perfect pairing for a bananas foster king cake. Bananas foster is, after all, made with rum and a pinch of cinnamon. Sipping a Spiced Rum drink (or Cane Land’s favorite, “Spiced on ice”) with a king cake of this flavor adds an extra kick.
Cream cheese and lager
Classic, cream cheese king cakes pair well with a pale lager, like the Bayou Bengal from Tin Roof Brewing Co. The mellow flavors of this beer—malt, bread and a hint of honey—don’t overpower the sweet and mild cream cheese filling.
Lemon and gin
Thibodeaux-based Donner-Peltier Distillers adds satsuma, cantaloupe, juniper, lavender, orange peel and lemon peel to its Oryza Gin. The citrus notes in the gin bring a bit more bite to tart-but-sweet lemon king cakes.