Fat-washing is tastier than it sounds. An easy (but impressive) way to create savory, silky flavored spirits, the process is very similar to infusing a spirit with fruits or herbs. The only difference is that you are using fats like oil or butter or lard, so the liquor extracts and absorbs both water- and fat-soluble compounds. The fat-soluble compounds alter not only the flavor of the spirit, but also the mouthfeel.
The technique was first perfected and popularized around 2007 when a bartender at New York’s famed speakeasy PDT (Please Don’t Tell) created a Bacon-Infused Old Fashioned made with bacon fat-washed bourbon. Since then, bartenders and home mixologists have used all manner of fats from butter to pistachio to sesame oil—even a grilled cheese sandwich—to flavor drinks.
So grab that can of bacon fat you keep in your freezer and try this super simple technique yourself—you’re five steps away from a delicious bottle of fat-washed goodness.
Ingredients
1 oz liquid oil, butter or fat
12 oz vodka (or your choice of spirit)
Tools
2 pint-size mason jars
Cheesecloth
Funnel
Step 1
Pour 1 oz of liquid oil, butter or fat into a jar containing 12 ounces of vodka.
Step 2
Seal the jar and shake. Let sit for three to four hours.
Step 3
Place the jar in the freezer, and let freeze until all of the fat solidifies in a layer at the top of the jar.
Step 4
Scrape the fat out and discard.
Step 5
Strain your fat-washed spirit through a cheesecloth-lined funnel into a clean jar or bottle. Drink straight or mix into a cocktail like a Bloody Mary or even a Martini.