Apple juice, apple cider, or a variety of fruit juices can actually work as a bourbon substitute, so, parents of toddlers, rejoice, since we know you’ve got an assortment of the stuff stashed in the fridge. If you aren’t baking and, instead making something savory like a barbecue sauce, glaze, or pan sauce, a fruit juice like apple juice or apple cider could be one of the better substitutes for the bourbon you’re lacking. Even though apple juice doesn’t really have any of the tasting notes or qualities of bourbon (except maybe being a little bit similar in color), the reason it acts as a decent swap is that it generally tends to work well with the same ingredients you’d see in a recipe with bourbon.

So, a recipe where the swap could work is savory one where bourbon isn’t used in a huge quantity. Since the holidays are coming, try steaming green beans until crisp-tender. Top with a sauce made from crumbled bacon, caramelized onions, and a bourbon pan sauce. Once the bacon is done cooking, remove from the pan, reserving the fat. Cook the onions and once caramelized, add a pat of butter and about a tablespoon of bourbon — sub in the apple juice here. Crumble the bacon and combine with the sauce and onions, then drizzle over the green beans.