Drink Your Bacon With The Southern's Maple Bacon Manhattan

By Anthony Todd in Food on Aug 1, 2012 7:20PM

Maple and bacon are a match made in heaven. The only thing that could make them even better? Bourbon. Enter this drink from The Southern which creates such a nexus of tasty things it may make the world implode.

Bacon is notoriously difficult to get into cocktails. If you don't want use the vomit-inducing Bakon vodka (which tastes like someone marinated soy baco-bits in rubbing alcohol) you have to make your own bacon spirits. The Southern also gave up the recipe for their house-infused Jim Beam Bacon bourbon. We've long been a fan of The Southern's infused bourbons, and this one promises to keep up their excellent record. If you're looking for a drink for your next party that is sure to be a hit, this is worth all of the effort. If you don't wan to try it yourself, go to the Southern and order one.

Maple Bacon Manhattan

2 oz infused Jim Beam Bacon Bourbon
½ oz Sweet Vermouth
½ oz 100% pure Maple Syrup
1 Dash Angostura Bitters

Combine all ingredients over ice in a mixing pint. Stir well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass with a julep strainer. If you like, garnish with a strip of crispy, good-quality bacon.

Infused Bacon Bourbon

This may take a little playing around to get it right outside of a restaurant kitchen. Take 2-3 strips of good-quality bacon and render all of the fat. Put the bacon fat and a bottle's worth of bourbon into a large mixing bowl. Keep that bottle!

Let the mixture steep for 24 hours. Then, strain everything back into the bottle through a fine strainer or cheesecloth to remove the fat.