Bacon Bourbon

Bacon. Bourbon. Yep. It’s bacon infused bourbon. C’mon, you have to know this isn’t a new concept. With all the new infused vodkas ranging from sweet tea, to whipped cream, to P.B. and J., and to Unicorn Barf; you have to know that bacon would sneak in there somewhere. After all, the world is a better place with bacon in it. Yes, there’s a Bacon Vodka. But did you know that you can make your very own delicious Bacon Bourbon? Of course you could make your own bacon infused vodka, but that takes infinitely longer than bacon bourbon (weeks). And you want to have a nice Bacon Old Fashioned this weekend!

Here’s how you get to making that sexy drink. A bacon with more smokiness creates a better and more sophisticated drink. It also amps up that bacony good flavor. Look for a Hickory Smoked Bacon. And make sure you’re hungry because you’re only going to be using the bacon fat to infuse your bourbon. You could always drink your cocktail with a plate of bacon. Or save the bacon for later. Do whatever you want; you’re your own person.

The process of infusing the bacon into the bourbon is called fat washing. Sounds gross but the result is absolutely delicious and delightfully intoxicating. To do it right, follow these steps:

Bacon Infused Bourbon
.33 cup of rendered bacon fat
3 cups of bourbon

Cook a pound of bacon and reserve the rendered fat. Add .33 cup of hot fat to a jar and fill with bourbon. Seal and allow to stand until it reaches room temperature. Place the jar in the freezer for 24 hours. The fat will solidify but the bourbon will remain in a liquid state. Open the jar and pour off the bourbon, straining through a coffee filter or cheesecloth to remove any loose fat particles.

Bottle it and slap on a cool label. Or get to the mixing:

Bacon Old Fashioned
2 oz bacon-infused bourbon
.25 oz Grade B Maple Syrup (A syrup darker in color and containing more of a caramel flavor)
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Orange twist

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine all the ingredients except for the orange twist. Shake, then strain into a tumbler glass filled with a couple of ice cubes. Garnish with the orange twist. Then enjoy bacony, boozey goodness. It’s the perfect man drink. Or even a sexy drink for an awesome lady.

Now, sit back and… Ahh. Enjoy.