Drink of the Week: PDT's Bacon Old-Fashioned

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

Stir until extremely well chilled. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an orange twist (or a super snappy twirly bacon stick).

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.
  
• After six hours, put bourbon into freezer until bacon fat solidifies.
• Lift off fat and discard.
• Strain bourbon through a fine strainer.