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  Every once in a while something that sounds crazy in a cocktail actually works, if you are open to the idea. One such concept is Bacon Infused Bourbon. It’s seems ridiculous at first, but when you consider sweet caramel and maple syrup flavors sometimes characterize a good bourbon, you start to think about breakfast and how a side of bacon tastes so good next to your pancakes! Does it still sound silly? Well, maybe if I break it down a bit, it will make a little more sense. What we are talking about is neither sweet nor sour, not salty or bitter—it’s the fifth fundamental flavor that the Japanese call umami.
Umami, or savoriness, is considered by eastern cultures as an important component of taste in their cuisine. It is the flavor produced by amino acids such as glutamate that we normally associate with beef, mushrooms or that “rich” character found in stews and some fermented foods. Although it isn’t often discussed in regular western culture, umami is widely recognized as a flavor descriptor in the culinary world. Naturally, ideas born in the kitchen can be carried over to the bar, and that’s what we are doing here.
In addition to capturing rich meaty flavors, the smokiness that typifies cured bacon is equally important in our infusion. That is why I recommend finding an extremely smokey bacon to start out. You can pick any bacon that you like, but the stronger the flavors the better. Benton’s Smoked Country Bacon is supposed to be very good for this. I used a delicious smoke house bacon I found at our local farmers market. It’s a thick-cut, organic product that is absolutely wonderful as a breakfast side, in an egg casserole or sprinkled over fresh salad greens. Whatever you use, plan to eat a good, healthy portion of bacon, because all we need is the fat!
That’s right, the process of infusing umami into bourbon is called fat-washing. The idea is simple. Cook your bacon as you normally would and reserve the rendered fat. You need about a third of a cup of fat for the process. Place it into a jar while it’s still hot, and fill the jar with bourbon. Let it cool, then freeze it for 24 hours. Filter it and you are done. It’s that simple.
 Bacon Infused Bourbon
.33 cup of rendered bacon fat
3 cups of bourbon
Cook a pound of bacon and reserve the rendered fat. Add .33 cup of hot fat to a jar and fill with bourbon. Seal and allow to stand until it reaches room temperature. Place the jar in the freezer for 24 hours. The fat will solidify but the bourbon will remain in a liquid state. Open the jar and pour off the bourbon, straining through a coffee filter or cheesecloth to remove any loose fat particles. Bottle it and slap on a cool label.
If you’ve done other infusions with vodka, the basic principles are the same. The high-proof spirit draws flavors from the fat into the alcohol. Over the course of a few hours, the cooling fat solidifies and allows complete separation from the booze. Using the freezer is a neat trick because the alcohol works as an anti-freeze for the bourbon making the separating process even easier. There are a few tricks I learned that can streamline the process.
First, don’t shake the jar while the fat is cooling. This will create an emulsion and the fat will have trouble coagulating. It will separate eventually, but there will be microscopic droplets that will make the bourbon cloudy, and even freezing and filtration will have a hard time clearing them out. Second, it can help to tip the jar on its side. This will make it easier to pour off the bourbon later so you don’t have to break through a solid fat cap. Finally, don’t worry so much about the proportions. You can use as much fat as you like. In fact, if the flavor isn’t strong enough or you picked a mild-flavored bacon, you can run the bourbon through the process multiple times to improve it.
So, what can you do with this stuff? Jim Meehan from PDT in New York serves a great riff on the Old Fashioned using Benton’s bacon for the infusion:
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 I would hardly call myself a wine expert, and yet I think I know enough to navigate a decent wine list. More important is getting to the point of knowing the flavors you like so you can ask the right questions and get what you want. It’s about having confidence in your ability to narrow the choices as opposed to buying a bottle based on its price. But it doesn’t come without experience, and the best way that I know to gain valuable knowledge about wine—or any kind of beverage—is to take the time to taste them.
Last week was a busy one for tasting whiskey in the Twin Cities. A few weeks ago, the world saw the release of Maker’s 46, the new bourbon whiskey by Maker’s Mark. As the bottles were arriving at the local shops, I got word of a Maker’s 46 release party being held
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 It’s only been two weeks since Maker’s Mark wax-dipped their first bottle of Maker’s 46 and started sending boxes across the world. Last week, a shipment arrived in Minnesota and I quickly snagged a bottle. So, what’s all the fuss about?
Makers Mark is a delicious bourbon made in Loretto, Kentucky, and like most bourbons, the creators pride themselves on tradition. In this case, it’s four generations of tradition that has resulted in a recipe that has remained unchanged in 52 years! According to Bill Samuels, you don’t mess with perfection. However, after more than five decades, he decided it wouldn’t hurt to try something new.
His family has built an empire around a product that has become the go-to standard for bourbon drinkers all over the world. In fact, even at the Seelbach Hotel, right there in Louisville, if you order a Mint Julep, they reach for Maker’s
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 If you have visited your grocery store recently you may have noticed that fresh cherries are in season again. Seeing those dark, ripe cherries ready to burst inside the little plastic bins always makes me think about the same thing: homemade cocktail cherries. You may wonder, what’s the point? Can’t you just buy a jar of bright red maraschino (mar-a-SHEEN-oh) cherries that last forever? Sure you can, but allow me to explain what you are really getting inside that jar and you might reconsider that purchase. Besides, it’s not hard to make your own maraschino (mar-a-SKEEN-oh) cherries for special cocktails. As you noticed, there’s a pronunciation difference here, but that’s just the beginning.
Understanding the point of making your own cocktail cherries requires a brief walk through the history of this garnish. Originally, cocktails were decorated with marasca cherries, a variety grown in northern Italy known for their decadent
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Kimberly and I have a new favorite location for great food and even better cocktails, but it requires a little planning to get there from St. Paul. That’s because this destination is all the way over the Rocky Mountains in Portland, Oregon. The object of our affection is Clyde Common, a Downtown/Pearl District hot spot that is helping to define the cocktail revolution.
Before I jump right into the cocktails, it’s important to mention that first and foremost, Clyde Common is a restaurant. The decor has a basic, modern look that reminds me of a warehouse. The stenciled labels on the wall identify the “KITCHEN” or the “BAR” with a somewhat industrial look that is softened by wooden tables and candles glowing from every corner.
We were seated in front of the open kitchen at a huge table that seats perhaps 20 guests. This “common” seating arrangement was
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  This week’s Drink Of The Week is the Mint Julep. With Derby Day just around the corner and a spring that started early in the midwest, it’s time to get your mint in the ground. Even if it wont be ready by Sunday, there will be plenty of oppurtunity for you to use mint in cocktails this summer. In the mean time, pick up some fresh mint at the grocery store and I’ll show you how to make this delicious classic.
The Mint Julep is probably the oldest cocktail there is. Today, it’s a southern tradition that has been popular for centuries, and it’s also the official drink of the Kentucky Derby. That’s because the Julep we know is usually made with delicious Kentucky Bourbon, but it wasn’t always so.
Early accounts of the Julep represent this drink as a medicinal libation, or more specifically, a vehicle for its delivery. That’s not unusual as classics go, and neither is the evolution of the recipe. The word julep comes from the Persian, golab, which means rose water. There are early recipes based on gin and brandy with the first appearance in print in 1803 without a specific spirit mentioned. However, most of us today think of the Mint Julep as a bourbon cocktail, and that’s what I am sharing here:
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  Although the basic steps in the distillation process are common, one theme that finally became obvious about Kentucky is the serendipity of converging resources. First and foremost is the land itself. Limestone is everywhere, but in Kentucky, it’s just under the topsoil. In addition, the rock here is free from iron, making it the perfect filter for natural spring water. The fact that it’s so close to the surface makes this water relatively easy to use. From a legal perspective, bourbon can be made anywhere in the U.S., but economically, it makes more sense to bring other ingredients to the water source. Second, Kentucky enjoys fertile soil which, in addition to supporting the native bluegrass, also plays an important role supporting local agriculture—and as we know, making bourbon requires lots of grain, including corn, wheat, rye and barley. Kentucky also has the greatest length of navigable waterways in the lower 48 states. This has facilitated centuries of convenient distribution.
In Kentucky, the alignment of these factors supports 95% of the world’s bourbon distillation, and all of them are making the same basic product. However, individual details can have a dramatic effect on the outcome. Case in point is Woodford Reserve, the smallest Kentucky distillery and the only one using copper stills. Their triple distillation in huge copper still pots reminiscent of those used in Scotland produces a distinct bourbon flavor and a brand that is now the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby.
 Like other distilleries, the process starts with the grain. Woodford Reserve uses a hammer mill to pulverize corn, rye and malted barley before it enters the cookers. Maker’s Mark, on the other hand, uses a roller mill which they claim works to their advantage by not creating as much heat and friction. Does it really matter? It’s hard to say. Buffalo Trace uses a hammer mill too, but this step isn’t the only factor that can affect the final product. The exact proportions of grain probably make the biggest difference, but how they are milled may not matter at all. I like to believe that everything has at least some affect on the outcome, and these small details probably do contribute in some way to the unique flavor of each product.
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  Although it’s not officially on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, I was probably more excited to visit the Buffalo Trace Distillery than any other. Buffalo Trace has won more awards for their whiskey products than any other distillery in the world. We traveled north to Kentucky’s capital, Frankfort to reach the Trace which is situated on 118 acres bordered by limestone cliffs and conveniently positioned against the Kentucky River. Named for this site which was once a migration path for wild buffalo, a distillery in some form or another has existed here since before 1773. It’s first official name was Old Fire Copper Distillery, and the original distillation permit still reads O.F.C., as this permit has never been reissued. That’s because the distillery has never missed a year of legal whiskey production, even during prohibition. Buffalo Trace was allowed to make whiskey for “medicinal purposes” which required a prescription from a friendly and sympathetic doctor. Those days, everyone was “sick”—even children and babies!
We registered for the Hard Hat Tour several days in advance. This is necessary because the tour does not run as often as others and space is limited. Rather than explain the specific details of whiskey production all over again, I’d like to encourage you to read through the last post if you haven’t already. Although the basic steps are the same, each distillery follows a specific method of production to create their own distinct flavor. I’d like to focus on the details that made the tour at Buffalo Trace unique as well as point out things that we found interesting.
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  Whiskey Creek at Maker's Mark Distillery Our first day on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® started with a drive through Bardstown which is south of Louisville. Although we’d spend the evening in Bardstown, we drove straight on to Loretto for a tour of the Maker’s Mark Distillery. Along the way we passed Jim Beam and Heaven Hill. I had heard good things about the Maker’s Mark tour, and since it was somewhat off the beaten path, we decided it might work best to start there and make our way back to Bardstown in the afternoon.
Our arrival was timed perfectly and we started a tour of the grounds, crossing Whiskey Creek to visit each building in turn. Along the creek stands one of the oldest liquor sales buildings called the Quart House where customers used to come and fill up their quart jugs. Those days are gone, but the old building remains. The entire “village” of black buildings is surprisingly beautiful, each with red shutters and bottle-shaped cutouts. Every building has a purpose and is sized accordingly.
 Maker's Mark Still House From yellow corn to White Dog
As we approached the tall Still House, the air became filled with the aromas of sweet grain. The Still House is perhaps the most interesting building on-site because it combines so many steps in the process of production under one roof. The highest roof covers the 38-foot column stills, but that’s not where production actually begins.
It starts with a 10-acre spring-fed lake on the property. Although it was not immediately visible, Maker’s Mark draws all of it’s water from this single source. The geology in the area makes this the perfect location to create whiskey. Limestone acts like a filter for the water, removing impurities such as iron which would darken the whiskey and destroy its delicate flavor. The second natural ingredient is the grain. By law, bourbon mash must contain at least 51% corn. Maker’s Mark uses 70% corn, 16% red winter wheat and 14% malted barley. This enters the Still House through a roller mill which gently crushes the grain before it is put into mash tubs.
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  The trip started with a pre-dawn drive and continued with some morning cruisin’, followed by an afternoon on the road and finally ended with even more time behind the wheel. It’s a long trip, but we managed it in one day, pulling into Louisville at about 6pm local time with the sun and southern warm weather to welcome us.
The Seelbach
This first day was supposed to be dedicated to “getting there” but once the car was parked we definitely made the most of it. We arrived at the hotel and were greeted by valets, eager to help us with our bags. It’s actually pretty quiet this time of the year in downtown Louisville—this is the calm before the storm. In about a month, it will start to pickup as everyone prepares for the onslaught of over 100,000 visitors on Derby Day.
As you can see from the image in the last post, the actual building is impressive, taking up the corner of the block with it’s brick and stone. The decorative facade gives clues to the details within. The lobby’s expansive white marble floors give rise to a colorful palette of other imported marbles—Italian stone was used everywhere, from the columns to the front desk. Gilded ironwork and intricate plaster crown molding decorate the entire room. Giant crystal chandeliers hang beneath the 800 backlit glass bevels, barreled into the ceiling that was once a skylight some three stories high. I was impressed, probably much like the 25,000 people that filed through this room on opening day back in 1905. The lobby appears today virtually unchanged in over 100 years.
 Impressive selection of bourbon at the Old Seelbach Bar We took elevator number 3 up 8 floors to our room which was nicely-appointed. I later learned that a ghost—referred to as the Lady In Blue—has been seen passing through the closed doors of elevator 3 on separate occasions. This is the elevator shaft into which she plunged to her death in 1936. Her apparition was last seen in 1987, and no, she did not give us the pleasure.
The Bourbon Tasting Begins
Adjacent to the lobby is the Old Seelbach Bar. After our long drive, we treated ourselves to the hotel’s signature cocktail, the Seelbach which we enjoyed at the mahogany bar. The bar itself boasts an incredible whiskey selection, many of which are smooth, single barrel bourbons. I’m no expert (yet) but I certainly know how to count a lot of bourbons when I see them all lined up on the back bar! With all of these choices, we knew we would need some recommendations from the staff.
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