Yes, the Glazed and Infused donut shop has boozy donuts.
And no, you really won’t get drunk from eating just one or two.
Those are just a couple of the questions Glazed and Infused co-owner Briana McLaughlin has heard most often since opening the new donut shop in southeast Cedar Rapids Easter Sunday.
“Six donuts equals one cocktail,” Ms. McLaughlin said with a smile. “It would be extremely difficult to get drunk (from) them.”
Ms. McLaughlin and her fiance, Sebastian Simmons, opened Glazed and Infused on Easter Sunday at 804 Fifth St. SE, adjacent to the Oak Hill Tavern, which the couple launched in October 2023.
With nearly a decade of work experience at Casa Las Glorias and Bari Italian in Cedar Rapids, as well as the former Old Hospital Pub in Vinton, Ms. McLaughlin was no stranger to the restaurant industry.
The inspiration to launch a donut shop came when Ms. McLaughlin visited a couture donut shop as part of a 21st birthday trip to Las Vegas.
The idea to add alcohol to some of the donuts came about because Oak Hill Tavern already had a liquor license, Ms. McLaughlin said.
“I had never heard of a booze-infused donut,” she said. “The closest place to us that has booze-infused donuts is Colorado, and then it’s Vegas. Otherwise, I have not seen it anywhere.”
A point of clarification: the spirits are infused into the frostings, not the baked portion of the donut, so the alcohol doesn’t bake out. But why have the alcohol option at all?
“It’s the flavor,” Ms. McLaughlin said. “When I’m drinking my alcohol, I feel like the flavor is a lot, so it’s hard for me to appreciate that because there’s a lot of burn. So with the bourbon citrus donut, you get the taste of what bourbon tastes like without the burn. You can appreciate what the actual liquors bring forth. The margarita donut – I can eat it, but I’ll never shoot tequila.”
Once the idea was born, Ms. McLaughlin began experimenting with donut recipes, seeking a texture that would turn out somewhat crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.
What she came up with is a yeast donut, lighter and less dense than a cake-based donut.
“I really love Hurts Donuts,” Ms. McLaughlin said, referencing the national restaurant chain with a location in Coralville. “I love the amount of things on top and I hope to move towards that, but I can never finish a Hurts donut because they’re so dense. So if we want to manipulate the toppings as much as I’m envisioning, then we can’t have something that is that heavy. We need a blank canvas. Fluffy and airy as you’re eating it, but it’s not going to sit like a rock.”
The donuts, made from scratch daily, come in a variety of flavors. On the boozy front, Ms. McLaughlin said the Chocolate Mojito, with green frosting and a chocolate drizzle, has been particularly popular, with other varieties including bourbon citrus, margarita and mimosa.
A cosmopolitan flavor has been dropped, but Ms. McLaughlin said she hopes to add new booze-infused varieties, including pina colada, rum and coke, espresso martini and watermelon mojito.
Of course, a variety of non-boozy flavors are also available, including “OG” flavors such as glazed, vanilla and chocolate frosted, and vanilla and chocolate sprinkled.
For the fruity donut fans, flavor options include strawberry, cherry and blueberry.
And new flavor choices are under consideration, ranging from creme brulee, apple cinnamon and banana split to lemon poppyseed, red velvet and banana split.
“We have a long list,” Ms. McLaughlin said. “We had a much larger menu we were going to start with, but we didn’t want to overcomplicate things to start. We wanted to see what people liked and what they didn’t like.”
Currently, donuts are priced individually – $2.15 for original flavors, $2.35 for fruit flavors and $3.25 for booze-infused varieties. It’s hard to offer different rates for larger quantities, Ms. McLaughlin said, because prices vary depending on the donuts included in the mix.
Beverages are also available, including sodas, gourmet coffees and NRG infused drinks to provide a quick energy boost.
Other menu options could be coming soon, Ms. McLaughlin said, including savory donut flavors (such as a maple bacon option), croissant breakfast sandwiches and cinnamon rolls with flavor options such as s’mores or sweet potato with marshmallow fluff.
The small Glazed and Infused donut shop offers limited seating, but the decor is whimsical, with candy-adorned walls and a grass-background sign. “We want it to be Instagram-worthy,” Ms. McLaughlin said.
While still early to gauge overall demand, Ms. McLaughlin said the reception so far has been very positive, with a number of sellouts. On days when donuts remain, they’re often donated to local firefighters or other community groups.
As a donut fan for years, Ms. McLaughlin said she feels the sweet treats have broad appeal because they’re convenient and can be enjoyed at any time of day – not just breakfast.
“We’re doing something different, something you can’t find anywhere else,” she said. “Donuts are a sweet start, and they’re handheld, so you can walk out the door with it. And our donuts are super light and airy. I would love to have a breakfast burrito every morning, but I feel like that’s going to sit heavy, so then I’m not as go, go, go the rest of my day. This can be just like a snack – you eat your doughnut and you can come back to work if you need to.”
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Glazed and Infused donut shop
- Address: 804 Fifth St. SE, Cedar Rapids (next to Oak Hill Tavern, facing Eighth Avenue SE)
- Hours: 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily
- Email: manager@oakhilltaverncr.com
- On Facebook: https://bit.ly/glazedandinfused
