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If you’re going to fat-wash some bourbon, you may as well do it with bacon. It’s surprisingly easy to do, too.
About the cocktail
The year is 2008, the place, New York City’s newest bar PDT (AKA Please Don’t Tell, credited as kicking off the modern speakeasy-style bar trend that rolled out around the world). Bartender Don Lee is working Monday night shifts and using the downtime to work on a new cocktail idea. Inspired by a technique getting hyped in the food scene, “fat washing”, he pops over to the nearby Momofuku restaurant to borrow some Benton’s bacon (their bacon of choice) and attempts to fat-wash some bourbon and use it in an Old Fashioned. The story goes that the bar’s founder (and fellow famed bartender) Jim Meehan was sceptical, but Don’s Bacon-Washed Old Fashioned fast became their most popular drink. You can still order it there today. Fat washing can be done with any kind of fat – avocado oil, butter, coconut oil and more – to flavour any spirit. For bacon and bourbon, it just works. The bacon-washed bourbon makes the Old Fashioned more fragrant, salty and smoky. There are sweeter notes of cherry and vanilla and a distinct zesty pop from the orange twist. It’s a drink Don has said is all about balance: the right bourbon, the right bacon and their marriage in the glass. Scroll down to our top tips section below for guidance on how to nail it. The last thing to think about when it comes to these frankly scrumptious cocktails is when to make them. While bacon-washing the bourbon takes a bit of prep – cooking, resting, freezing, straining – the cocktail itself is super simple, so once the bacon-washing is done, you could easily make a round the next time your mates drop in. Cue impressed looks and texts the next day, “How did you make those drinks?!”.
Ingredients: To make bacon-washed bourbon
500g streaky bacon
750mL bourbon
Note: This makes enough for roughly 12 cocktails – feel free to halve the recipe if you don’t need so much
Ingredients: To make the cocktail
60mL bacon-washed bourbon
7mL maple syrup 2 dashes Angostura Bitters Ice Garnish: orange twist or a piece of crispy bacon
Method: To make bacon-washed bourbon
Place bacon in a pan over low heat, turning occasionally until the bacon is fully cooked and the fat has rendered off (be careful not to burn the bacon)
Strain the bacon fat into a jar, removing any solid pieces In a separate freezer-safe container or jug, add 750mL of bourbon and 45mL of strained bacon fat and give it a light stir to mix Allow the mixture to rest at room temperature for 4-6 hours – you’ll see it start to solidify Freeze the rested mixture for a further 2 hours until the fat has risen to the top and fully solidified Simply remove the block of fat, strain the liquid to remove any last solids, and you now have your bacon-washed bourbon – set it aside in the fridge until you’re ready to use it
Method: To make the cocktail
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice
Stir until cold and strain into a chilled short tumbler with a single large ice cube Garnish with a small orange peel twist – or, if you really want to hammer it home, a crispy piece of bacon
Dan’s top tips
A higher alcohol content in the bourbon will hold flavour better, so you want a bottle that’s between 40% and 50% ABV. That ensures a generous bacon flavour without getting too spicy. As for the bacon, Benton’s is prescribed in the US (it’s actually sometimes called a Benton’s Old Fashioned) but in Australia, a high-quality streaky smoked bacon from your local butcher is the best dupe. Let them know what you’re using it for and they’ll make sure you get pieces with the most fat. As we’re playing with an animal byproduct with this one, a few food safety measures are important to put in place. Firstly, use a low heat and be careful not to burn it – you don’t want “burnt bacon-washed” bourbon, but do make sure the bacon is completely cooked through. Once your bourbon is fat-washed, it’ll keep in the fridge for a few weeks, but it won’t last forever. If you aren’t going to use it, adapt the bacon-washed bourbon recipe to make a smaller batch. Cutting it in half will make enough for roughly six cocktails. Lastly, you might want to think twice about dumping that solidified bacon fat. Remember, when you fat-wash a spirit, that flavour transfer goes both ways. You’re not only imparting the fat’s flavours into the spirit, you’re also infusing the fat with the spirit’s flavours. Experiment with using a bit of that fat to fry up some veg and see what happens.
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