Something strange and unnatural has been happening in gastronomic realms, something that hopes to unite the fine flavors of bacon with the potency of alcohol. Thats right, Bacon infused liquor. Bacon bourbon is said to go nicely in an Old Fashioned, and bacon vodka appears easy enough to make. That said, the results don’t sound too promising. ”It tastes like I’m having a stroke.”
Will Delicious Attack soon investigate this odd phenomenon, I’m not sure, the cost of failure, ruined booze and rancid bacon, seems high.
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Andrew Maki
Alex Welles
Owen Maloy
5 comments
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November 29, 2008 at 7:51 am
Andrew Maki
I’m throwing in my lot on the side of experimentation. I did a little research on the process of “meat infusing,” and it seems to me that a popular way of giving bourbon a bacon twang is to use the fat and not the meat. When a tumbler filled with bourbon and topped with heated bacon fat is put into the freezer, the bacon fat will coalesce and solidify into one mass, making separation of the bourbon quite easy. This technique has the added benefit of not spoiling your breakfast bacon.
My taste buds dance on thoughts of a total-bacon-meal (or is it a total-bacon-restaurant?). “Nothing goes to waste, now, drink!”
April 16, 2009 at 8:09 am
Owen Maloy
Maki…I had no idea that bacon booze was taking off. However, that being said, I think I may have come up with the ultimate breakfast cocktail. How about egg nog with bacon booze? Bacon and eggs for those that cannot sacrifice the time required to heat a pan in the morning.
Seriously though, what a strange idea. In the culinary world, it isn’t always the case that two delicious things will become even MORE delicious when combined. Sausage and mushroom pizza is good. Banana smoothies are good. Sausage and mushroom pizza put into a banana smoothie would not be good. Along the same lines, steamed mussels are good. Pumpkin pie is good…you see where I’m going here. Clearly a bacon loving drunk thought this would be a good idea and gave it a whirl. I don’t disapprove of the creativity, but what a terrible concoction. Next thing you know we are going to see foie gras ginger ale and salt cod spandex.
On a related note, I think bleu cheese stuffed olives should never go in a martini…that’s one man’s opinion.
April 16, 2009 at 8:10 am
Andrew Maki
Why not a bloody mary with bacon-infused vodka? I am unconvinced that adding a smokey bacon flavor to a coctail would be any more off-putting than the smokey peat-moss flavor that Laphroaig-lovers quest after. Also, consider the culinary uses of a bacon-infused spirit. I’d even drizzle some bacon-infused bourbon over a bowl of vanila ice cream.
Why not a bloody mary with bacon-infused vodka? I am unconvinced that adding a smokey bacon flavor to a coctail would be any more off-putting than the smokey peat-moss flavor that Laphroaig-lovers quest after. Also, consider the culinary uses of a bacon-infused spirit. I’d even drizzle some bacon-infused bourbon over a bowl of vanila ice cream.
April 16, 2009 at 8:12 am
Owen Maloy
I don’t agree with you on this one, Maki. The process of making bacon booze has to be oddly modified in order to not incorporate any of the fat into the alcohol. At least items like peat can be steeped in Laphroaig to release its flavor, similar to tea. But, what really puts me off on this one is that it is a complete waste of bacon. Bacon has a million and one amazing culinary applications. By infusing the taste of bacon into vodka, that is if the flavoring is in fact natural and not artificial, you ruin the bacon. There is no use for the bacon post-infusion. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to put a vodka-saturated piece of floppy and, most likely, oddly colored bacon in my mouth. Last point, on a personal level, I think it’s a bad idea. It doesn’t appeal to my tastes. I would rather have a cocktail accompanied by some crispy bacon or maybe some tapas laced with bacony goodness.
April 16, 2009 at 8:13 am
Andrew Maki
I think that we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one, and perhaps wait until proper testing to make any final judgement.
As for the your concerns for fat in your alcohol and ruined bacon meat, I refer you to this video explanation of PDT’s Bacon-Infused Old Fashioned posted by the NYTimes Magazine (April 7, 2008).
As you will see, you needn’t be worried about a fat-slick coating the top of your coctail, and no precious bacon will go to waste – not a single slice.