Even Better

 

There is good, and then there is better.
You recall that awhile back I wrote about Eben Freeman's fat-washing technique to impart the flavors of any fat to any spirit. Brown butter rum, peanut butter bourbon, bacon vodka: there is no limit.

All the buzz these days is about bacon, but I expect this will change, as all things do. In the meantime, let a vegetarian teach you an even better way to infuse your spirit of choice with the smoky, meaty flavor of bacon.

Last week I was working on a cocktail for my upcoming competition, the Great Sconnie Sip-Off. The cantaloupe shrub came out nicely, as did the cucumber vodka, but the lavender rock-candy failed to perform in time for the preliminary trials. At the last minute I was left with nothing to present. I did what you would have done: I improvised.

I had some Roaring Dan's Maple Flavored rum in the house, and I bought some bacon. I used Freeman's technique of pouring the fat of the bacon into the spirit to give it bacon's flavor. It gave it smokiness, but it lacked umami. I bought more rum. I bought more bacon.

That night at work, I met a man who claims he makes the best bacon on earth. "What is your secret?" I asked breathlessly. He told me, and I will tell you. Cook it like barbecue: low and slow, paying careful attention to each slice as an individual. It took forever, but what I produced was bacon as gorgeous as any I have seen in life.

I put the fat and the bacon in the jar with the Maple-Flavored rum and what resulted was a spirit I knew would pass muster. Just to be sure, I brought it to my co-worker, Jo Curley. The girl loves bacon not in the obsessional way of hipsters, but in the true way of a connoisseur. She was hesitant to try it, worried I would have wasted perfectly good bacon. She was satisfied, but I was not. I riddled her with a machine-gun volley of questions. Does it taste like bacon? Is it weird? Is it good?

According to Jo, I hit the nail on the head. This is how I did it:

You will need one package of Patrick Cudahy Bacon, one bottle of Roaring Dan's Maple Flavored Rum and the patience to cook that bacon very slowly. You will also need a clean canning jar large enough to hold it all. Pour the rum into the jar, put the cooked, cooled bacon and its fat into the jar and let it sit on the counter in your kitchen overnight. The next day, put the jar in the freezer to separate out the fat. Spoon off the fat and remove the bacon. Strain the liquid through cheesecloth, and then through coffee filters until it is clear and lovely. That is all.

In case you wondered what kind of cocktail I made with it, it is pictured above, and its recipe follows.

Bacon Cocktail

1.5 oz. Bacon Infused Roaring Dan's Rum

.5 oz. Anderson's Maple Syrup

8 drops Bittercube Orange Bitters

Sprecher Ginger Ale

Combine rum, maple syrup and bitters in your mixing tin and shake. Pour into cocktail glass and top with ginger ale. Garnish with bacon.

Inside the Process

It was a perfect day... the first day the heat broke. I was driving with the windows down. My dog, Chloe, was adorably barking her fool head off at everything in creation and all felt right with the world. I have passed this cute little farmstand a couple of times a week since the beginning of summer and meant to stop. Today was my day.

I pulled off the road and unloaded the dog and we walked across the warm gravel toward a young mother and her two children and the whole thing could hardly have been more Norman Rockwell if there had been two boys headed off the the fishin' hole. It was perfect. I had already decided to buy whatever she was selling; thanks to our recent drought the selection was somewhat limited. Limited, but locally-grown and beautiful.

I bought a couple of bags of produce and went on my way and I didn't think any more of it. I'm coordinating a cocktail competition and have a lot on my mind -- most of all my mixology block. I plan and execute whole menus of cocktails, seasonally -- this little thing should be no problem. All I had to do was invent a cocktail using only ingredients from the Great State of Wisconsin. I love cocktails. I love Wisconsin. It should have been a snap.

Slowly, it all came together. The fresh cucumbers I bought at the farmstand went into a jar of Rehorst vodka, which they softened and to which they imparted a fresh, green flavor. With no real plan in mind, I then made some lavender-infused sugar.

I've been growing some lavender out back of the bar. Lavender infused sugar is as simple as putting lavender in a bag and letting time do the work. Remember when I wrote about oleo saccharum? I was surprised to see the sugar is getting ever-so-slightly melted from the essential oils in the flowers, just like the lemon oil melts the baker's sugar.

Then I melted the sugar in boiling water to make a supersaturated simple syrup which should crystallize into rock candy - remember rock candy? Rock candy, being supersaturated, is exponentially sweeter than simple syrup, Mine, having begun with herb-infused sugar, then having that same herb added at the end of boiling, will -- cross your fingers -- should have a big lavender flavor to match so that a little will go a long way.

I think it will need an acidifier to balance it out and then we should be in business. Brennan's has some nice Wisconsin canteloupe and I'm thinking shrub...

Dy's Rum Punch is Easy, Fresh and Delicious

There is more than one way to skin a cat. Well, that's just gross... There's more than one way to make rum punch. There are so many ways to make rum punch that, um, I'm sure there's a formula to calculate this, but in the words of my man Jake Gaylord, "I was told there would be no math...." There will, however, be mixology.

www.123rf.com

But first, the basics about punch, a little etymology and a little history. The etymology is meant to give you some confidence about tailoring this recipe to your own tastebuds, and the history will hopefully give you a sense of this fine drink's longevity.

The word "punch" comes from the Hindi word for "five." The five in question are: spirit, sugar, citrus, spice and water. As long as you employ these ingredients, you will have made punch. The drink itself has a certain romance to it, having been popularized in the 1600's by the British East India Trading Company. It is usually served communally, in a large, wide bowl. I think it's a perfect way to please a large number of guests without too much work during the event.

First thing's first: this recipe calls for grenadine. Don't buy grenadine. Make grenadine. It's easy. It is such a remarkable improvement over the dull-flavored, red-colored schmoo typically sold as grenadine that to use it in this recipe or any other is a dirty shame.

Easy Grenadine



1 qt. Pomegranate Juice (like POM)

2 c. sugar

Boil the ingredients, then cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Let cool, then pour into a clean, dry bottle.

Some sources call for 2 dashes of orange flower water, but I think this is optional. Not optional for your home bar is an ounce of vodka, for preservation. There's no point having such a delicious ingredient just to let it spoil!

Rum Punch

1 oz. Myers' Dark Rum

1 oz. Bacardi Rum

2 oz. Fresh Orange Juice

2 oz. Fresh Pineapple Juice

1/4 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

3/4 oz. Fresh Grenadine

Combine all ingredients and shake, serve over ice.