Brittle options include “The Filthy Pig,” an understandably popular brittle made with Bulleit bourbon, bacon and pecans; “Blonde at the Bar,” made with Blue Moon beer, almonds and orange zest; and a Makers Mark-cranberry-almond brittle called “Bourbonberry,” all at $6-7 for a two-ounce bag.

Sugar and booze. Happily married, with just a little bit of a nutty dark side to their union.

“We’re trying to create an urban candy store with an edge,” Keys said. “From the beginning, I had an idea of how I wanted this [business] to look. There’s no shortage of candy companies, but they all sort of have this same baby-shower-ish look with bows and frills, and that was neither us as people nor us as a company.”

Keys says that they draw inspiration for their candy flavors and monikers from a wide variety of sources. The “Cookies and C.R.E.A.M.” marshmallow owes its name to Keys’ and Gillespie’s love for the Wu Tang Clan. The “Lemonage à Trois” marshmallow was created out of a trip to Sorrento, Italy, the birthplace of the Limoncello that they incorporated into the lemon-flavored puff.

You’ll find homages to Oakland, too, in marshmallows called “Town Biz” and “Hella Frangelica.” An Oakland-inspired pistachio-and-amaretto marshmallow creation was born after Keys and Gillespie got stopped by a sideshow outside of the Oakland Coliseum while trying to get home from a Warriors game.

“I had a bag of pistachios that I had smuggled successfully into the Coliseum that we never got to eat, so we basically just sat back and cracked our pistachios and watched [the sideshow],” Keys said. “It was such a quintessential Oakland moment, and when it came time to name the marshmallow, it was obviously ‘Ghostride the Whip.’”

Currently Sugar Knife makes its treats available via their online store and at select Oakland retailers. Keys and Gillespie have found themselves shipping orders everywhere from Australia to Slovakia, have created a custom flavor for a Vegas showgirl’s retirement party, and have hosted a make-your-own s’mores bar for First Friday at Uptown Kitchen. And, just recently, Sugar Knife has teamed up with famed local chocolatier Michael Mischer to offer chocolate-dipped treats.

Where you come in: Find a way to enjoy these pillowy, silky sweet treats at their finest. One of Sugar Knife’s serving suggestions for their “Apple Pie” marshmallow is to eat it hot off of the campfire between two oatmeal cookies. Or try a gourmet s’more incorporating marshmallow, graham cracker and bacon.

However you do it, make sure you do it with a side of booze.

Oakland Social is a weekly arts and culture column devoted to upcoming events, new places, and narratives about going out in Oakland.

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