Bacon Infused Bourbon

I once had a debate with someone about the fact that you could potentially add bacon to anything and it would make that item taste better. So far, the only thing we decided would not be improved was kosher food, as it was not allowed.

I've tested a number of different bacon infused bourbon combinations and this is the one I have found to be the smoothest tasting.

Easy to mix for a specialty cocktail, or poured and sipped by itself.

ITEMS NEEDED:

1 package of uncured bacon
1 bottle of Jim Bean bourbon
1 large, clean, mason jar with lid
A bunch of coffee filters
Small funnel
A frying pan
A stove
A little bit of upper-body strength

I have found that uncured bacon has the best level of flavor to give both a good bacon flavor to the bourbon without overpowering at the same time.

Cook the bacon to all its yummiest, sizzlingiest bounty. Do this in a frying pan.

While the bacon is cooking, pour your bottle of bourbon into the mason jar. (*I have tried Wild Turkey 81, and cured bacon combinations as well and for some reason either the uncured or Jim Bean gives it that smooth flavor -- I believe it is the uncured bacon that is the key. More testing will have to be done. Which I guess I can do. Twist my arm, pull my leg, make me a cocktail.)

After each batch of bacon, pour the bacon grease directly into the bourbon in your large mason jar.

Repeat until all bacon is cooked.

If small bacon pieces fall in, no worries!

Once all bacon grease is in your mason jar with your bourbon, close the lid tightly, and shake that jar!

While doing this, get used it.

Over the course of the next 3 days (yup, I said 3), you will store the mason jar in a kitchen cabinet or the like, and whenever you pass by, you will take it out of the cabinet and shake it until you get tired (of shaking it). You will put it back in the cabinet until the next time you pass by.

Over the course of the 3 days, shake it as much as you can.

Shaking separates the bacon grease out and creates more surface area for the bacon to infuse better with the bourbon.

After 3 days of shaking, place the mason jar in the fridge and wait anywhere from 4 hrs to the next day. Placing the jar in at night and doing the next step the next morning is easiest.

Take the mason jar out of the fridge. The grease will have solidified fully on the top.

Start by opening the jar and scooping out as much of the top layer of solid-ish grease/fat from the jar and throwing it in the trash. (*Do not think that it is a good idea to taste the grease because you think it will taste like awesome baconness. It will not. It will taste nasty. Not that I did it. A friend did it. He lives in Canada. You don't him.)

It is okay to have grease/fat left. It is better to take out less solid grease than to spoon out precious bourbon by accident.

Once the big parts of the grease/fat are out, place the small funnel in the top of your original bourbon bottle and place a coffee filter in it.

Pour your infused bacon from the mason jar slowly into the funnel. This takes time and you can go watch a movie or the like between pours of filling up the filter and waiting for it to drain.

Once one coffee filter has become clogged with grease that has been properly filtered out, throw the filter out and replace it with a new filter.

Go until you have poured through the entire mason jar.

Write "Bacon Infused" on your bourbon bottle, and store it away from your regular spirits bottles, or at least to the side -- this will prevent a not too bright friend from wasting half the bottle in the middle of a party because he may or may not be too far gone to realize it is "special" bourbon and not just bourbon to mix a drink with continuously.

This will also save you from having to decide if you invite that friend back to parties in the future.

First though, pour yourself a little of the sweet sweet infused bourbon and take a sip! Mmmmm, bacon.