A Bacon Martini, also known as bacontini, pig on the rocks or a bloody bacon martini, is a

cocktail A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic beverage, alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more liquor, spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, Shrub (drink), shrubs, and ...

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 #REDIRECT Bloody Mary {{redirect category shell, {{R ambig{{R from other capitalisation{{R unprintworthy ...

mix. Although not a

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

, which consists of vodka and

vermouth Vermouth (, ) is an Italian aromatized wine, aromatized, fortified wine, flavored with various Botany, botanicals (roots, Bark (botany), barks, flowers, seeds, Herb, herbs, and Spice, spices) and sometimes Food coloring, colored. The modern ve ...

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

liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through ethanol fermentation, alcoholic ferm ...

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 food of high quality, with a nearly equal emphasis on eating and drinking. The term was coined in the 1990s in the United Kingdom. History The term ''gastropub'' (derived from gastronomy) was coi ...

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, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. 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, United States, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The city has a diversified economy, with government, manufac ...

. 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 as far south ...

-cured bacon, while P. Moss's method calls for

hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes 19 species accepted by ''Plants of the World Online''. Seven species are native to southeast Asia in China, Indochina, and northeastern India (Assam), and twelve ...

-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. This sauce, called the marinade, can be either acidic (made with ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, or wine), or enzymatic (made with ingredien ...

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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, 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 liquor, distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave. Agaves or magueys are endemic to the Americas and found globally as ornamental plants. The ''Agave'' genus is a member of the Agavoid ...

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 Limited 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 company was originally named CC Wakefield; the nam ...

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, deterge ...

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

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

was selling bacon martinis with bourbon 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 beverag ...

), 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