People are putting bacon in just about anything nowadays. From chap-stick to iPhone apps to good old cupcakes, bacon is that secret ingredient. I love Manhattan’s and I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to a delicious cocktail even if it had bacon fat in it!
You’ve got to try this one and if your guy is in need of a signature cocktail for the wedding I think you may have a winner!!
Bacon Bourbon Manhattan Cocktail
Recipe and Photo found on People.com
Ingredients
- 2-3 dashes bitters
- 1½ oz. bacon-infused bourbon (recipe below)
- ½ oz. dry vermouth
- ¼ oz. sweet vermouth
- 1 strip crisp, cooked bacon, for garnish
- 1 cherry (maraschino or brandied), for garnish
- 1 twist orange rind, for garnish
Bacon-Infused Bourbon
- 2 oz. bacon fat
- 1½ cups bourbon
Directions
- Swirl bitters in a chilled martini glass.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with large ice cubes and add the bourbon and vermouths. Shake vigorously, then strain the cocktail into the prepared martini glass.
- Cut bacon into small squares. Garnish with a skewered cherry, orange rind and bacon pieces. Serve immediately.
Bacon-Infused Bourbon
- To clarify the bacon fat, melt fat and strain into a bowl. Add 4 oz. boiling water. Stir well and leave until melted fat has set into a cake above the water. Remove cake, scraping off any sediment from the bottom, then melt again.
- Combine bourbon and bacon fat in a quart-size jar. Seal with a tightly fitting lid and shake vigorously. Leave the bourbon to infuse at room temperature for 5-8 hours.
- Put the jar in the freezer and freeze until all of the bacon fat has solidified at the surface of the bourbon, about 1 hour. Scoop off and discard the bacon fat and strain the bourbon through a fine mesh sieve lined with 2 coffee filters. Extra bacon-infused bourbon can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
