Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Cocktails & Spirits

Recipe: Homemade Bacon Vodka &
A B.L.T. Bloody Mary Cocktail

A “Bacon Drink” Worth Celebrating

CAPSULE REPORT: With the growing popularity of the B.L.T. Bloody Mary or Bacon Bloody Mary, here’s the second in our series of creative cocktails. This recipe, by Bloody Mary blogger Greg Tooke, is easier than the first one, which is based on molecular gastronomy.

Introduction

My favorite meal is brunch. Brunch means it’s not a workday. Brunch means I've slept past breakfast. It’s a blend of breakfast and lunch, borrowing the best from each.

My favorite brunch food? Bacon! My favorite brunch beverage? The Bloody Mary!

And so it makes perfect sense to blend these two brunch delights in one cocktail. I call it the B.L.T. Mary. Offer this gorgeous and satisfying drink to your guests and you may not have to dirty a plate.

Start by infusing your favorite vodka with bacon. Cheers!

EDITOR’S NOTE: We also like to make ice cubes from seasoned tomato juice, which prevents dilution of the drink. Just add the same seasonings to the tomato juice: celery salt and Worcestershire sauce.

B.L.T. Bloody Mary With Homemade Bacon Vodka

You end up with enough vodka to make 12 to 13 drinks that each utilize two ounces of bacon vodka. The math: 750ml vodka = 25.3 ounces. You’ll need 2 to 4 quarts of tomato juice, depending on your preferred ratio of vodka: tomato juice.

Ingredients Per Cocktail 750ml bottle of your favorite vodka 1/2 pound bacon Ice Black peppercorns Worcestershire sauce Celery salt Fresh lemon quarters (wedges) Tomato juice (our favorites) Romaine leaves (hearts) for garnish Seasoned salt for rim (optional) Equipment Wide mouth quart jar Cocktail shaker Peppermill Collins glasses or other tall glasses

The author’s BLT Bloody Mary cocktail. Photo by Greg Tooke.

Preparation

1. Fill a wide-mouth quart jar with vodka. Reserve the bottle.
2. Bake or microwave a half pound of bacon. Pour the bacon drippings into the jar of vodka. Drain the bacon and set aside for garnish.
3. Shake the jar over the course of an hour or two. Then place it in the freezer. Once the oil has separated from the vodka into a solid piece, remove it. (I discard the byproduct. If you can think of a use for it, let me know.) Use a funnel to pour the vodka back into the vodka bottle.
4. Fill a shaker with ice. Crack plenty of fresh black pepper over the ice, then crack some more (up to 1/8 teaspoon per drink). Pepper really gives life to the cocktail.
5. Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and add a dash of celery salt.
6. Squeeze a quarter of a fresh lemon into the shaker; then add two jiggers of the bacon infused vodka. Top with tomato juice and shake well.
7. Pour into a frosted collins glass. Grind three more turns of black pepper and sprinkle with another dash of celery salt. Garnish with a slice of bacon and a crisp romaine lettuce leaf.

Variation: Bloody Masuki With Wasabi

This variation was created by Justin Freet of Seattle’s Liberty Bar, for Bakon Vodka, a ready-made bacon-flavored vodka.

Ingredients Per Cocktail 1-½ ounces Bakon Vodka or homemade bacon vodka 2 ounces tomato juice Dash of Bitter Truth celery bitters ¼ ounce wasabi Dash of soy sauce Dash of Tabasco Seasoned salt for rim (optional) Cucumber wheel for garnish (optional) Preparation Build cocktail in a collins glass, first salting the rim. Garnish with notched cucumber slice.

The author’s BLT Bloody Mary cocktail. Photo by Greg Tooke.

Recipes © copyright Greg Tooke and Justin Freet, respectively. All rights reserved. Other material