About
This cocktail was created by Don Lee (@donbert) at PDT (NYC) in 2007 and is often credited with helping popularize fat-washing in modern cocktails. Lee created it using bacon fat from Benton’s Country Ham, and the drink became such a hit that Jim Meehan later described it as the cocktail that best defined PDT’s legacy. Robert Simonson (@robertsimonson) includes it in Modern Classic Cocktails, and after being gifted Fee Brothers (@feebrothersofficial) new Bacon Fat Wash, it felt like the perfect excuse to make one. This is not sponsored content or anything. I was genuinely curious to see how it worked in one of the most famous fat-washed cocktails ever created. It was a fun and accessible way to bring some smoky, savory bacon notes into the drink. Specs on how to make the original fat-wash below.Cheers y’all!
Ingredients
- 2 oz · 60 mlbacon fat-washed bourbon (or bourbon + 3 dashes Fee Brothers Bacon Fat Wash)
- ¼ oz · 7.5 mlmaple syrup
- 2 dashesAngostura bitters
- orange peel oil
Method
- 1
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass.
- 2
Add ice and stir until chilled.
- 3
Strain into a rocks glass over large-format ice.
- 4
Express orange peel oil over the surface.
- 5
Garnish with an orange twist.
BACON FAT-WASHED BOURBON
- 2 cups · 475 ml. bourbon
- 2 oz · 60 ml. rendered bacon fat
- 1
Combine bourbon and warm bacon fat in a sealable container.
- 2
Shake to combine.
- 3
Let sit at room temperature for 4–6 hours.
- 4
Transfer to freezer until fat solidifies (usually overnight).
- 5
Remove solid fat cap.
- 6
Strain bourbon through a coffee filter until clear.
- 7
Bottle and store.
anatomyofadrink.com/cocktails/bentons-old-fashioned