Bacon Old-Fashioned

6 pieces good quality, thick-cut bacon
1 bottle Buffalo Trace bourbon (750 ml)
1/4 to 1/2 ounce brown-sugar simple syrup
2 dashes angostura bitters
1 small piece cooked bacon, twisted into a curl

Cook the bacon slowly over medium-low heat until all the fat renders. (Save the cooked bacon for another use.) Infuse the bacon fat into the bourbon using the fat-washing technique, which adds the flavors of a fat into the spirit. To do so, pour the fat into a large glass jar and add the spirit, then swirl together. Cover and let the mixture sit in a cool, dry place for three days to one week, then refrigerate for 24 hours. The fat will solidify and separate. Pour through a strainer lined with coffee filters to strain.

In a cocktail shaker, combine two ounces of the bourbon, the brown-sugar simple syrup (made by combining equal parts sugar and water and simmering over medium heat until the sugar dissolves), and the bitters. Add ice, shake well, and serve in a rocks glass. Garnish with a bacon curl. Makes one Bacon Old-Fashioned.

Recipe Courtesy: Lance Mayhew , Beaker and Flask , Portland, Oregon.  Visit Lance’s blog here