BY DON LEE
Smoky, caramel, maple
Life-changing with doughnuts or French toast. It’s also terrific with fried chicken.
A famous drink from the modern-day speakeasy in New York, PDT (Please Don’t Tell), fat-infusions and fat washes became the rage after this bacon-infused bourbon cocktail appeared in 2007. The infusion is simple, and can be used in a number of applications—bacon Manhattans or even bacon-y juleps. Keep in mind that the bacon-infused bourbon needs a good six hours to infuse and chill, so it’s best to make it a day ahead.
FOR THE BACON-INFUSED BOURBON
1½ ounces (45 ml) bacon fat (preferably Benton’s, or a thick-cut bacon)
1 bottle (750 ml) bourbon (Four Roses)
FOR THE COCKTAIL
2 ounces (60 ml) bacon-infused bourbon
¼ ounce (7 ml) grade B maple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Orange peel, for garnish
To make the bacon-infused bourbon, warm bacon fat in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir it for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it melts. Combine the molten fat and bourbon in a large non-reactive container and stir. Cover and infuse for 6 hours or overnight, then place the container in the freezer for 2 hours. Scrape off the fat solids, then strain the bourbon through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Pour it into a clean bottle and refrigerate.
For the cocktail, stir ingredients with ice in a mixing glass. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. To garnish, twist the peel over the surface of the cocktail to express the oil. Then, run the peel around the rim of the glass and drop it into the drink.