Cocktail Recipe | The Fat Sidecar
The Fat Sidecar
A little excited with some new ingredients in the cocktail cabinet and having made a batch of Benton's really smokey bacon for breakfast, I was motived to try fat washing for the first time. And since Pierre Ferrand's new 1840 Original Formula Cognac was staring me in the face, that was the spirit getting infused.
Fat washing is basically the approach to infusing a spirit. Any good rendered bacon fat will work, but Benton's bacon has that extreme and amazing smoke content that chefs have been freaking over. If you are not in the mood for a really smokey experience, go with a different bacon.
The next question was to decide which cocktail to try -- and what's more classic than a Sidecar. I figured the lemon juice would cut through the "fat" and the sweet and tart would balance everything out.
- 2 oz. Benton's Bacon Fat-Infused Pierre Ferrand 1840 Original Formula Cognac
- 3/4 oz. Pierre Ferrand Dry Orange Curacao (or Cointreau)
- 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 oz. simple syrup
- sugar
Benton's Bacon Fat-Infused Pierre Ferrand 1840 Orignal Formula Cognac
- In a ratio of about 3:1 Cognac to warm rendered bacon fat, add both to a wide mouth lidded container (a mason jar works really well).
- Let the mixture infuse for an hour or so.
- Put the jar in the freezer for another hour.
- Remove the jar from the freezer and the bacon fat will be a solid chunk on top of the Cognac.
- Remove the fat chunks and strain through a fine mesh sieve and / or a coffee filter.
1. Bartender Jamie Boudreau's video shows the technique here.
2. I actually put the container directly into the freezer and the bacon smokiness still came through strong.
3. I didn't filter using a coffee filter and there was a "fat" sensation when drinking the cocktail. A coffee filter will eliminate this.
- Rim the cocktail glass / coupe with sugar (dip the rim into some lemon juice and roll the edge of the glass in the sugar)
- Chill the glass in the freezer
- Combine the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and add ice.
- Shake vigorously and strain into the chilled cocktail glass.
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