Kansas City Magazine

42 Essential Sweets In KC, From Bonbons To Apple Fritters

By Taylor Drummond
Published January 31, 2023
Click here to read complete article.

Bardstown, Kentucky, is the esteemed “Bourbon Capital of the World.” It’s got nothing on a woman-owned, small business here in Kansas City: Bootleg Bourbon Balls (bootlegbourbonballs.com). The company has perfected the creation of spirit-filled confections made with Kansas City’s craft spirits and mixed with Belgian chocolate.

Head Bootlegger Lisa Fitch describes her Kentucky thoroughbred balls as “notoriously naughty chocolates, but so nice.” Bootleg sells sample boxes through its website and delivers to four locations around town at no extra cost. The lineup of bourbon balls includes not only traditional balls filled with Tom’s Town Pendergast Royal Gold Bourbon and Union Horse Reserve Bourbon but also chocolate balls infused with local rum and whiskey.

The sampler’s standout is a sparkly chocolate masterpiece called Dame’s Dish, a dark chocolate and whiskey pecan blend with the Lifted Spirits Wheat Whiskey. The first bite of this immaculate confection, through the whiskey-soaked chocolate, reveals a delectable maraschino cherry to savor. It’ll leave you wanting to share with the whole family—if they’re over 21, that is.

“They aren’t your Grandma’s bourbon balls—and this ain’t your Grandpa’s bourbon,” Fitch says. —Taylor Drummond