A Bacon Martini, also known as bacontini, pig on the rocks or a bloody bacon martini, is a
cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely acr ...
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 mix.
Although not a
vodka martini, 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 cent ...
, the term "bacon martini" is consistent with the trend of calling any straight
liquor
Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or ha ...
in a
martini glass a "martini," such as the
saketini 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 individual ...
.
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 Dav ...
Father's Office in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
, 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 sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, approximately ...
.
P. Moss appears to have concocted his bacon martini the same year. Sang Yoon's version of the drink uses
juniper
Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...
-cured bacon, while P. Moss's method calls for
hickory
Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in M ...
-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 meat before cooking. The drink is ready when the liquid becomes filmy and opaque.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 U ...
, 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".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 c ...
motor oil
Motor oil, engine oil, or engine lubricant is any one of various substances used for the lubrication of internal combustion engines. They typically consist of base oils enhanced with various additives, particularly antiwear additives, deterg ...
,San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, 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 List of Ca ...
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 ...
instead of vodka (which is actually a Mitch Morgan), arguing that vodka absorbs too much of the charcoal smokiness flavor.
See also
* Bacon Salt
* Bacon soda
* Bacon vodka
* BLT cocktail
* Mitch Morgan
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bacon Martini
Cocktails with vodka
Bacon drinks