Bacon Vodka

I don't remember where I first heard about Bacon Vodka, but it was probably on Facebook from one of my bacon-obsessed friends. My initial thought was, "Ewwww, why would you want vodka that tastes like bacon?". Then I pictured a Bloody Mary made with bacon vodka...and the idea became stuck in my head where it fermented like a bowl of kimchi on a hot summer day. I HAD to try Bacon Vodka.

I located a bottle of it at the local Friar Tuck store, but was dismayed to discover it cost 30 bucks! I don't mind spending thirty dollars on a nice bottle of hootch, but this was different. What if it sucked? What if it tasted like vodka with liquid smoke and fake bacon (fakon) flavor? I just couldn't see spending that kind of money on something that might end up being used as a drain cleaner.

Maybe this was something I could make myself! I turned to Mr. Google to see if anyone knew how to make Bacon Vodka. Sure enough, there were plenty of recipes to choose from. And it just so happened that I had homemade maple-smoked bacon sitting in my fridge!

I started by chopping up 4 1/2 ounces of my smokey, homemade bacon:

I fried the chopped bacon until brown and cripsy:

At this point, I was supposed to drain off the fat, but there's SO MUCH FLAVOR in that fat, I just couldn't do it. I poured the browned bacon and all the fat into a mason jar and added 1/4 teaspoon of whole black peppercorns and a pint of vodka:

Then I capped it and let it sit in a dark cupboard for three weeks. Three long weeks of thinking about Bacon Bloody Marys...

At the end of the three weeks, I popped the whole thing in the freezer for 24 hours. This allows the fat to freeze so it can be strained out. Finally, I poured it through several layers of cheesecloth...

...and my long-awaited Bacon Vodka was done!

It turned out to have a beautiful amber color and the most incredible, smokey, bacony aroma. I did a shot, straight up. Amazing! Like liquid bacon with a boozy kick!

I gathered the ingredients to make a Bloody Mary. I like mine with ice, a splash of worcestershire sauce (Lee & Perrin's, please), a dash of hot sauce, V8, and a sprinkle of celery salt. I also like to include a celery stalk or a hot pickled green bean, but was out of both.

Behold: my new favorite drink! The Bacon Bloody Mary!

I wish you could taste this. Picture a BLT. With alcohol. I bought some celery a couple of days later and discovered that adding a celery stalk made it even more BLTish, so don't skip the celery if you can help it.

This is one fine Bloody Mary, and definitely worth the wait!

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Bacon Vodka

4 1/2 ounces good quality, smokey bacon
1/4 t black peppercorns
one pint vodka

Chop the bacon, then cook until crisp.
Pour the bacon and fat into a jar and add black peppercorns and vodka.
Cap it and park it in a dark cupboard for 3 weeks.
Freeze for 24 hours, then strain through several layers of cheesecloth.

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