Bacon grease adds creamy, salty depth and concentrated umami to vodka, transforming a neutral spirit into a rich, savory base for cocktails. The technique, called fat washing, infuses spirits with the flavor of fats while allowing the fat itself to be removed. Recommended infusion ratios are 1:16 or 1:8; combine cooled bacon grease with vodka and let sit at room temperature for at least four hours (some recipes recommend up to 12), then freeze overnight. Hardened fat rises, can be skimmed, and the spirit strained. Bacon grease–infused vodka pairs well with Bloody Mary elements like Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco.
When you cook up a plate of sizzling bacon, you'll inevitably be left with some grease in the pan. Bacon produces a lot of grease because it's a very fatty meat, but while cleaning and disposing of the grease might seem like a hindrance, it's a helpful addition to many recipes. Many people are familiar with adding bacon grease to things like gravy or fried vegetables, but fewer people are aware of the boozy infusion you can make with it: bacon grease-infused vodka.
While putting fat into a cocktail might sound crazy, it's actually a known technique called fat washing, which can be used to create some truly decadent cocktails. While this is often done via oils such as olive oil, bacon fat gives a spirit like vodka a particularly rich and smoky taste. Barriere recommends using bacon grease-infused vodka in a bloody mary, saying, "Bacon depth turns it into a brunch moment."
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