On Thursday, we told you about the PDT Cocktial Book, the awesomely illustrated, if overly complex, book of recipes from PDT owner Jim Meehan. Today, we'll share one of our favorite recipes from the book: Benton's Old-Fashioned, which combines three of our favorite ingredients: maple syrup, bourbon, and bacon.
Created by Don Lee, a former bartender at PDT, the drink is made using a technique called "fat washing," in which swine fat is fried and poured into containers holding bourbon. This concoction is chilled in the fridge, which makes the fat rise to the top and solidify. The solid is then scraped off, and the liquid is strained, leaving bourbon with a slight yet unmistakable hint of pig.
The ingredients: 2 oz. Benton's bacon fat-infused Four Roses Bourbon ¼ oz. Deep Mountain Grade B Maple Syrup 2 dashes Angostura Bitters Orange peel
How to make it: To make the bacon fat-infused bourbon, take 1.5 ounces of bacon fat and warm it in a small saucepan on low heat. Stir until it melts, about five minutes Combine the molten fat with a 750-milliliter bottle of Four Roses bourbon in a large container and stir. Infuse the ingredients for four hours, then place the container in the freezer for two hours. After cooling, remove the solid fat and fine-strain the bourbon through a terry cloth or cheesecloth into a bottle.
To make the Old-Fashioned, Combine all three ingredients in an ice-filled glass. Stir with ice and strain into a chilled rocks glass with a single ice cube. Garnish with an orange twist, if desired.
