Um yeah, this cocktail does contain bacon. Sort of. It actually contains bacon fat. Well ... not really. It contains bacon-infused bourbon. (Which sounds way better than fat-washed bourbon, which is another name for it. Yum.)Read on, bourbon drinkers and bacon lovers. This is a delicious drink, although it's probably best if you don't disclose the bacon element until after your guests have taken a sip or two.
This cocktail was developed by Don Lee for PDT (Please Don't Tell), a speakeasy in Manhattan. The story of the recipe is here.
The bacon garnish is my fun little addition to the drink, it should be served with an orange twist to stay true to the original.
Bacon Old-Fashioned
Combine in an iced mixing glass:
- 2 ounces bacon-infused bourbon
- 1/4 ounce Grade-B maple syrup (or a little less, the full 1/4 ounce made for a fairly sweet drink)
- 4 dashes Angostura bitters
Making bacon-infused bourbon is ridiculously easy:
- Cook 4-5 pieces of smoked bacon (the smokier the better).
- Reserve bacon fat, let it cool.
- Eat bacon.
- Pour bacon fat into 2 cups of bourbon in a mason jar or bottle.
- Leave it on the counter, give the jar a shake every once in a while.
- After at least six hours, but as long as 3-4 days, put bourbon into freezer until bacon fat solidifies.
- Lift off fat and discard.
- Strain bourbon through a fine strainer.
1/26/10 Update: On the bacon front, folks are in love with Benton's Bacon these days. Benton's is very good. I am also partial to North Country Smokehouse's cob smoked bacon. Whatever bacon you choose, make sure it's smoky. Like house-on-fire smoky.
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5 comments:
Oh man, I am going to have to try this. Thanks for the recipe and the great photo - love your twirly bacon!
Hi Kristen - thanks for stopping by. I like my twirly bacon too! Bake a thin strip of bacon, wrapped around a wooden spoon handle, until crispy.
I LOVE IT! After trying the bourbon neat several times I have to say, if you want strong smoke on the nose, use a flute. To me the smoke scent dissipates faster in a traditional Old-Fashioned glass/tumbler. Don't get me wrong, there's still tons of fantastic bacon & bourbon flavor. I'm tempted to smoke my own bacon, way over smoke it, and make some bourbon with it to see how it changes the nose. Thank you so so so so so much, Mary, for the delicious drink. Did I mention I LOVE IT?!?!!
Well David, tell me how you *really* feel. So glad you like it - makes toting it all over the market worth it. :-)
I agree with your tasting notes - a narrower glass really makes an impact on the nose. I'm planning on smoking my own again soon, to see what I can get out of it. To me the challenge s keeping the temp low enough to get a real high smoke-load in the bacon without overcooking it.
i'm thinking a really peaty scotch would work nicely in this.
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