Q: I recently read an article about the joys of smoked bacon bourbon and apparently it is something one can make. I have tried to find a recipe for smoked bourbon in various old cookery and cocktail books but have failed. Can you help?
A: This recipe is not difficult but the ingredients are key.
You need to select the smokiest bacon you can find and a good bottle of bourbon. (See our recipe for sticky bourbon partridge legs.)
Cook three or four fat rashers and retain a good fluid ounce of the rendered fat, letting it cool but not solidify.
Pour the fat and 750ml of good bourbon, such as Four Roses Bourbon, into a glass jar and let it sit and infuse; if the bacon is strong enough, it will only take a
couple of hours. You now have a greasy-looking bourbon. To de-grease, place the jar in the freezer overnight and the fat will congeal.
Remove the fat then strain through a sieve. Ideally, restrain the bourbon through coffee filter paper for a clear finish.
Your bourbon should now taste and smell of bacon.
To make your cocktail, mix 50ml bacon bourbon, a tablespoon of maple syrup and two dashes of angostura bitters with some ice.
Strain into chilled glasses filled with ice and garnish with an orange twist.
Find more of the Field’s cocktail recipes here.
The Field cannot accept any legal responsibility for answers given in these columns.
