This makes a classic barbecue sauce, which you can make as hot or mild as you want depending on the amount of hot sauce you add. Adapted from this recipe, it makes a little less than one quart.

1/2 medium-sized onion or 1 shallot, minced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup bourbon or whiskey
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup tomato paste
⅓ cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
½ cup packed brown sugar
⅓ tablespoon hot sauce, or to taste (Tabasco works well here)

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic, and whiskey. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Mix in the ketchup, tomato paste, vinegar, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and hot sauce.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally, trying to keep your hands safe as the molten lava bubbles and attempts to erupt from its cauldron. You don’t want it to stick to the bottom, but BBQ burns aren’t great, either.

If you want a smooth sauce, run it through a strainer. As an alternative, you can use an immersion blender to incorporate the onion and garlic, though this sauce works wonderfully with little bits of onion and garlic unblended, too.

You can can this sauce. Keep in mind that the full amount will leave too much air at the top of a quart-sized jar (about an inch) — so I would recommend using smaller jars for canning, or keep the full amount refrigerated. It can last several months in the fridge after it’s been opened.