The bacon martini, bacon bloody mary, bacon old fashioned … bacon has been showing up in cocktails for a while now. It seems that fat washing liquor with bacon mellows it a bit, creating a different mouth feel, as well as sustained flavor notes. A crispy slice of bacon makes the perfect salty and smoky accent for a bourbon or bloody mary. And many of our restaurant clients have been exploring the frontier where cocktails and meat … meet.
At Le Coq Rico in NYC, the head bartender Lawrence Trailer created Elvis in the Sky, inspired by the famous peanut butter and banana sandwiches that The King favored. The “coq’tail,” as mixed drinks are known, is cachaça-based and garnished with our duck bacon. And yes, there are bananas.
Kara Newman at Wine Enthusiast adapted it bit. If you want to try it, here’s the recipe.
Sarah Lehman at Somm in the City blog visited Le Coq Rico and had a few drinks. Her photo of the drink in situ shows a thicker, creamier cocktail. We like the poultry-centric names of all their coq’tails. Click through for drinks, stay for the wit.
Speaking of fat and cocktails, check out this Turdrunken Sour featuring duck fat and rye whiskey. Sounds like one for the Thanksgiving files.
Have you added meat in any form – bacon, foie gras, duck fat, jerky – to your cocktails? Tell us about it right here, and share photos with us on social media. Tag @dartagnanfoods on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. We love to see what’s happening in the kitchen … and at the bar.