A Bacon Martini, also known as bacontini, pig on the rocks or a bloody bacon martini, is a cocktail that consists of bacon-infused vodka served with a garnish that can include strips of bacon, bacon bits, or olives. Variants may include the addition of

Bloody Mary Bloody Mary originally referred to: * Mary I of England (1516–1558), Queen of England and Ireland, so called because of her persecution of Protestants Bloody Mary may also refer to: Film * '' Urban Legends: Bloody Mary'', a 2005 horror fi ...

mix. Although not a

vodka martini The martini is a cocktail made with gin and vermouth, and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist. Over the years, the martini has become one of the best-known mixed alcoholic beverages. A popular variation, the vodka martini, uses vodka ins ...

, which consists of vodka and

vermouth Vermouth (, ) is an aromatized fortified wine, flavoured with various botanicals (roots, barks, flowers, seeds, herbs, and spices) and sometimes colored. The modern versions of the beverage were first produced in the mid- to late 18th centur ...

, the term "bacon martini" is consistent with the trend of calling any straight liquor in a

martini glass A cocktail glass is a stemmed glass with an inverted cone bowl, mainly used to serve straight-up cocktails. The term ''cocktail glass'' is often used interchangeably with ''martini glass'', despite their differing slightly. Today, the glass ...

a "martini," such as the

saketini The saketini is a cocktail that uses sake as its base, along with other ingredients such as simple syrups, distilled spirits, liqueurs, juices and garnishes. The name saketini is a portmanteau of "sake" and "martini", a cocktail traditionally made ...

or other

variations Variation or Variations may refer to: Science and mathematics * Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon * Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individua ...

Origin

The bacon martini was invented independently by Sang Yoon, owner of the

gastropub A gastropub or gastro pub is a pub that serves gourmet comfort food. The term was coined in the 1990s, though similar brewpubs existed during the 1980s. Etymology The term ''gastropub'' (derived from gastronomy) was coined in 1991, when David ...

Father's Office in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing t ...

, and P. Moss, owner of the Double Down Saloon in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

. Sang Yoon made his bacon martini in 1998, inspired by the Bacon of the Month Club run by the Grateful Palate in

Fairfield, California Fairfield is a city in and the county seat of Solano County, California, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco ...

. P. Moss appears to have concocted his bacon martini the same year. Sang Yoon's version of the drink uses juniper-cured bacon, while P. Moss's method calls for hickory-smoked bacon.

Preparation

To make a bacon martini, the vodka needs to be prepared in advance through a process called fat washing."Fat Washing for Bacon Infused Vodka"
/ref> This is done by soaking strips of cooked bacon in vodka and straining off the fat, similar to the process for

marinating Marinating is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. The origin of the word alludes to the use of brine (''aqua marina'' or sea water) in the pickling process, which led to the technique of adding flavor b ...

meat before cooking. The drink is ready when the liquid becomes filmy and opaque. At the Double Down Saloon in the East Village in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, the bacon martini is created by straining the bacon-infused vodka through shaken ice and serving it in a martini glass with a piece of bacon at the bottom, similar to the worm in a bottle of

mezcal Mezcal (, ), sometimes spelled mescal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave. The word ''mezcal'' comes from Nahuatl , which means "oven-cooked agave", from and .What is MezcalElmezcal.org Traditionally the word " ...

Taste

The taste of bacon martinis is similar to that of vodka martinis, but with a spicier and saltier bacon flavor and a tangy "heat". According to a saloon owner, the pork fat reacts with vodka to give the drink its unique taste. Reviews of the beverage have been varied, with one drinker comparing it to

Castrol Castrol is a British oil company that markets industrial and automotive lubricants, offering a wide range of oil, greases and similar products for most lubrication applications. The name ''Castrol'' was originally just the brand name for co ...

motor oil, and a bacon enthusiast saying it was a satisfying and delicious beverage on many levels. A club in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

was selling bacon martinis with

bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * A beer produced by Bras ...

instead of vodka (which is actually a

Mitch Morgan A Mitch Morgan is a cocktail that consists of a shot of bourbon whiskey served with a piece of fried bacon as a cocktail garnish and served in a glass coated on the inside with a thin veneer of bacon grease. The Mitch Morgan is a popular bever ...

), arguing that vodka absorbs too much of the charcoal smokiness flavor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bacon Martini Cocktails with vodka Bacon drinks

Origin

Preparation

Taste

See also

References