photo by george billard

This bacon-infused bourbon cocktail was inspired by the Old Fashioned at PDT, a cocktail mecca in New York City’s East Village. I think the star-anise-infused cider syrup gives mine a nice complexity, and the fresh lemon juice sparks the dark, smoky flavors. I entered this drink as a contender on Food52, when the theme was “Your Best Pork and Apple Cider Recipe” and , although it didn’t win, it was one of the week’s editors’ picks. (Probably because it really stood out against all the ((admittedly delicious-looking)) recipes for cider-braised pork shoulder.)

BACON-INFUSED BOURBON

375 ml bourbon, such as Tuthilltown’s Baby Bourbon

2 slices smoky bacon, cooked to render ¾ oz fat

Decant the bourbon into a large glass jar with a wide mouth.

Fry the bacon in a skillet to render the fat. (Scarfing the bacon down is de rigueur!)

Once it’s cooled a bit, strain the fat into the jar of bourbon.

Let it sit out for about 6 hours and then put it in the freezer.

Once the fat is completely hardened, scoop it all out with a slotted spoon.

APPLE CIDER SYRUP

2 cups organic apple cider

1 tablespoon brown sugar (like dark muscovado)

1 tablespoon maple syrup, grade B preferred

1-2 star anise

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan and keep at a strong simmer until liquid has reduced to 2/3 cup. Strain out the star anise.

THE PIGGYBACK

2 ozs bacon-infused bourbon

1 ½ ozs cider syrup

1 oz lemon juice

Into a cocktail shaker with ice, pour bourbon, syrup and lemon juice and shake. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. You can double the ingredients and shake two at a time if you’re not drinking alone.