Maple Bacon Old Fashioned
A steakhouse classic that leans hard into smoke and sweetness. The bacon fat gets "washed" into the bourbon, so you get all the savory richness without a floating bacon garnish turning soggy in your glass.
Ingredients
- 2 oz bourbon bacon fat-washed (recipe below)
- ¼ oz pure maple syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- orange peel for garnish
- crispy bacon strip for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the washed bourbon, maple syrup, and bitters in a mixing glass with ice. Stir for about 30 seconds until well-chilled. Strain over a large ice cube. Express an orange peel over the top and drop it in. Garnish with a crisp bacon strip if you want to lean all the way into the sweet-and-savory theme.
Notes
Bacon-fat wash: Cook 4 strips of bacon, reserving 1 oz of rendered fat. Let the fat cool slightly (don't let it fully solidify), then stir it into a 750ml bottle of bourbon. Let sit at room temperature for 4 hours, then freeze overnight — the fat will solidify at the top and can be strained off through a coffee filter or cheesecloth.