Emulsion American Gin from The Fainting Goat Spirits blends perfectly with the lemon and lime in this no-bake cheesecake.
My husband saw a Facebook post about a gin infused cheesecake and threw down the gauntlet for me to come up with a recipe using Emulsion American Gin from our favorite distillery, Fainting Goat Spirits in Greensboro, NC. He then told one of the owners that I would be bringing one down the next day for them to sample. Nothing like a little pressure. I’ve never made a cheesecake with gin and was concerned with getting the texture right so that it wouldn’t be soupy. I started with a recipe from the UK, where gin is all the rage and went from there.
I’m not a big gin fan until I tried Emulsion American Gin. While it has juniper berries as required in order to be called gin, it’s not overpowering like most. This particular Gin has won several Gold medals recently, so if you haven’t tried it you should check it out. I was afraid it would make the cheesecake bitter, but instead the aromatics in it paired so nicely with the lime and lemon flavors.
I didn’t want this to be too sweet, so I used just a half of a cup of powdered sugar and then added some white chocolate. I thought it was just right.
The best part was the gin infused lemon curd that we spooned on the top of each slice. If you didn’t know it had gin in it, I don’t think you would be able to guess, but the flavor with the lemon was perfect. Can’t wait to try it next time I make Bumblerry Crisp with Lemon Curd. So even if you don’t make gin infused cheesecake, add a little to your lemon curd next time and you won’t be disappointed.
Don’t forget to check out our favorite distillery if you’re in Greensboro. You can go for tastings and a tour and learn how they make this fabulous gin.
Gin Cheesecake
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter melted
- 8.8 ounce Biscoff cookies 1 package, crushed
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened (2 8 oz blocks)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup Emulsion American Gin
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 ounces white chocolate chopped
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
Lemon Curd
- ¾ cups lemon juice about 4 lemons
- 4 teaspoons lemon zest
- 8 egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 8 tablespoons butter cold and cut into 1 inch pieces
- Emulsion American Gin 2 tablespoons per ½ cup
Instructions
- Butter the sides and bottom of a springform pan.
Crust
- Add the package of Biscoff cookies to a food processor and pulse until finely crushed. Add melted butter and process until it comes together. Place in bottom of springform pan.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar, gin, lime zest and juice, and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- Place white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 50% power for about 11/2 minutes stirring every 30 seconds until just melted. Let cook slightly for about 2 minutes and fold into the cream cheese mixture.
- In a separate bowl, whip cream until slightly firm and holds it shape and gently fold into the cream cheese mixture. Pour it on top of the Biscoff layer and even out with an offset spatula.
- Refrigerate overnight.
Lemon Curd
- In a saucepan over low heat, warm the juice, zest and salt. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and smooth, about 2 minutes. Very slowly whisk in the warm lemon juice until incorporated and pour it back into the saucepan.
- Over medium heat, whisk continuously until you see the first bubble of a boil and then continue to whisk vigorously for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter pieces. Strain in a sieve and cover with plastic wrap that touches the surface of the curd. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Once the lemon curd has cooled, add gin to taste. I used 2 tablespoons per half cup of lemon curd. Drizzle some on top and then spoon generously over each slice of cheesecake.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- You will have more lemon curd than you need. Try serving over a cobbler or crisp.
Nutrition
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Dawn says
Maybe I am missing it, but I don’t see what step the 1/2C of powdered ginger goes into the recipe? Can you please clarify?
Barbara Curry says
It is powdered sugar, not ginger. Thanks for catching that.