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Alcohol Substitutes for Wine and Sherry in Fast and Slow Recipes

Asked Apr 06, 2021 by Betsy E.

My son received Milk Street's Fast and Slow as a gift and is eager to make many recipes. Unfortunately, many call for alcohol, and we are an alcohol-free home. I have spent some time googling and am skeptical of the suggestions. For example, substituting vermouth with apple juice. Any mention of dilution is pretty vague with no amounts (e.g., water with lemon juice). I was hoping you could help with some specific substitutions for the following:

3/4 cup dry white wine in Pasta All'amatriciana (p. 117)

1/2 cup white vermouth in Vermouth-braised Chicken and Potatoes with Fennel (p. 170)

2 cups dry red wine in Tuscan Beef and Black Pepper Stew (p. 233)

1 cup dry red wine in Colombian Savory-sweet Braised Beef (p. 274)

1/4 cup dry red wine in Braised beef (p. 266)

1 cup dry white wine Chicken en cocotte with wine (p. 174)

1/2 cup dry sherry in Chicken soup with sherry (p. 148)

1 cup dry red wine Coriander-braised pork with wine (p. 213)

1 cup dry white wine in French beef or lamb stew with wine (p. 251)

1 cup dry red wine in Short rib ragu with wine (p. 269)

There are many more recipes with alcohol so if you have any rules of thumb for the types you use most often in recipes I would appreciate it. Thank you.

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COMMENTS

  • Betsy E.

    April 8, 2021

    Thank you!

  • Glenn D.

    January 14, 2025

    Soak bread for beer when it's indicated, and elderberry jam for burgundy. The alcohol is a processed sugar byproduct and those two ingrediants check the boxes. Once you decoct the foregoing, you'll taste a minimal variation to the dish, and there'll be more for the guests who imbibe to partake of.