Bacon and Bourbon are perfect bedfellows in this delicious Old Fashioned variation. This sweet drink brings together some great flavors and you will walk away knowing how to fat wash your own spirits.
This was a really fun recipe to come up with and was really pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. Yes, it is a bit on the sweet side, but this bacon bourbon maple Old Fashioned is a great twist on this classic cocktail. Not only are we going to construct the cocktail, but I am also going to talk about how I made a bacon bourbon with bacon straight from my fridge.
Fat washing your bourbon into bacon bourbon
While I have not done much of it, I am now a little infatuated with fat washing spirits. The premise is that you add a fat, in liquid form, to a liquor and then cool down the mix enough so that the fat solidifies. Once you remove the fat, you have a liquor that has some of the flavors of the fat you were being used. The two big ones that I imagine are bacon fat and coconut oil. Both solidify very nicely in cooler temps and both have a good, strong flavor.
Seriously, all you need to do for this is bake up a half pound of bacon (this time I cooked it in a baking pan). I kept some of the bacon as something to serve with this cocktail, but I also shoved some of it in my fat face. Mmmmm…. Bacon. Once the bacon grease had cooled down a bit, but not solidified, I poured it into a pint jar. I added 8 oz of bourbon to the same jar – DON’T MIX WHEN THE GREASE IS HOT YA DRINGUS – and put in the fridge.
By the next day, the bacon grease should solidify and you can remove with a spoon or whatever method you want. You should have a leftover mix of bacon-flavored bourbon to use for this cocktail or save for later. As a side note, I am not 100% sure how long this lasts and what the storing temps are. I would imagine it would preserve just fine, but I only do this in small batches and store in my fridge/freezer, just to be safe.
All the side stuff in this bacon bourbon maple Old Fashioned
It seemed natural to replace the sugar from the traditional recipe with maple syrup. We are really getting into breakfast territory here, right? But I didn’t stop there… to really give it that sort of breakfast feel, I decided that an orange wedge would be a perfect secondary accompaniment to this cocktail.
Overall, I am happy on how this added to my deep dive into the Old Fashioned cocktail. The orange does bring it a bit on the sweet side, but the combination of orange, bacon, and maple really bring this Bacon bourbon maple Old Fashioned together into some tasty yumminess.
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PrintBacon bourbon maple Old Fashioned
What fun it is to incorporate BACON into one of my all-time favorite cocktails, the Old Fashioned. This Bacon Bourbon Maple Old Fashioned is something that is sure to hit your adult savory and sweet spot.
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 5 Minutes
- Total Time: 10 Minutes
- Yield: 1 Drink 1x
- Category: Coctail
- Method: Stir
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 oz maple syrup
- Splash water
- 3 dashes of bitters
- 2 oz maple washed bourbon
- 1 slice bacon
- 1 orange wedge
- 1 lowball glass
- 1 large hunk of ice
Instructions
- Add maple syrup to glass
- Add splash of water to glass
- Add bitters
- Stir
- Add ice
- Add bacon washed bourbon
- Stir
- Add bacon to glass
- Add orange to glass rim
Keywords: Bacon bourbon maple Old Fashioned
22 Comments
Trang
October 2, 2017 at 11:47 amOh Ben, I’m not much of a bourbon/whiskey gal, but this is something I can definitely get with. Bacon and maple syrup? Yes and Yes! 😉
Ben Myhre
October 2, 2017 at 12:11 pmThanks Trang!
Jeff the Chef
October 3, 2017 at 6:47 pmWow, this is so interesting to me. I’ve never heard of fat washing before – I’ve got to try it! And I love bourbon paired with bacon. Yum!
Ben
October 4, 2017 at 5:22 amI recently learned about it, as well. I have been a little infatuated.
Jenni LeBaron
October 3, 2017 at 8:51 pmI am 100% a bourbon girl so this is right up my alley! I like the addition of the bacon. Snacking while you drink is the best combo.
Ben
October 4, 2017 at 5:21 amI figured I couldn’t have a bacon flavored drink without plopping a nice crispy strip in there!
Linda @ 2 Cookin' Mamas
October 4, 2017 at 1:19 pmThis drink sounds like a keeper! And thanks for the interesting facts on adding the flavor of a fat to the drink. Love that this one has the flavor of bacon – ’cause who doesn’t love bacon?! 🙂
Lee-Ann
October 5, 2017 at 5:20 amLove bacon and love a cocktail…and fat washing spirits sounds so delish. Super inventive!!
Ben
October 5, 2017 at 5:59 amMaking the bacon bourbon was certainly fun to try and I will likely do it again. Perhaps try to make my own Malibu next time.
sam
October 6, 2017 at 2:09 amHey Ben…! i love your post and i love a cocktail & bacon. Thank so much !
Stephanie
October 9, 2017 at 9:16 amOh man, I will be making this drink ASAP. Thanks for sharing!
Hillary Harper
November 4, 2017 at 8:43 pmI’ve never heard of fat-washing spirits! So cool! An Old Fashioned is my favorite cocktail, so I will definitely have to give this a try!
Lisa Bynum
November 17, 2017 at 10:27 amJust pinned. I am so making this. I am a bourbon girl and I can’t think of anything better than bourbon AND bacon TOGETHER!
Ben
November 17, 2017 at 2:27 pmIt was a fun drink to come up with… and fun to mess around with fat washing.
Supriya Kuttty
November 18, 2017 at 2:56 amHey Ben!!! I really loved your post and I so love the cocktail & bacon too. Will try this amazing combo drink asap at my home for my hubby. I have bookmarked this recipe of your’s will share it with my friends and Family. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing drink recipe with all of us. Looking forward to more recipe like this. Best wishes and Regards.
Marvellina | What To Cook Today
November 20, 2017 at 2:24 pmOMG!! Bacon and cocktail!!! Seriously what not to love about that!!! and that fat washing idea…genius!!
Umakant
November 23, 2017 at 1:15 amHey Ben…! am always find as bacon bourbon maple…cocktail. Thanks for sharing….!
Frank
November 28, 2017 at 6:03 amThis fat washing thing intrigues me. I’ll have to try it, although the overnight wait will sorely test my patience…
Helene
December 8, 2017 at 9:24 amThank god it’s Friday! 😀 I feel like having this bacon and bourbon right now. I have not had a chance to try such a glorious flavor combination, but i can see how this is going to be awesome! Will check out fat washing next!
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