Bacon Vodka - How to Make Bacon Flavored Infused Vodka

Bacon vodka? Yes. Bacon is everywhere, and infusing it into vodka is one of the best things you can do for your Bloody Mary game.

Combined with our Smoked Jalapeño Bloody Mary concentrate (or any of our three flavors), you get a really good Bloody Mary that's easy to make and tastes like the bar made it.

But bacon infused vodka isn't just for Bloody Marys. You can use it in other cocktails too. A Bacon Old Fashioned adds smoke to a classic. A Bloody Caesar (Canada's Clamato-based cousin) gets better with it. A Bacon Espresso Martini works as a savory-sweet drink.

Vodka takes on flavor easily. Whether you're new to infusing or have done it for years, you can make just about anything. For more ideas, see our full infused vodka recipes guide. Today we're focusing on bacon.

There are two ways to do it, and we'll cover both.

Ingredients and Materials

• Bottle of vodka (we use Tito's, but mid-tier works fine)
• Five slices of bacon
• Coffee filter
• Glass jar (mason jar works great)
• Frying pan

That's it.

What Type of Vodka for Bacon Vodka

Because we're infusing the vodka and making a new flavor, it doesn't have to be top-shelf. I prefer Tito's for most of my Bloody Marys. But feel free to go with a lower or higher end vodka, depending on your budget and preference.

The Bacon

I went to Whole Foods and got plain bacon. You can get smoked or flavored bacon, but that will change the taste as the vodka absorbs the flavor. Thick-cut works best for richer flavor.

Method 1: Bacon Fat Washing

Fat washing is a technique originally popularized by Evan Freeman in New York. This process uses bacon fat and grease, not the bacon strips. The bacon is a byproduct (a good one that you should eat). All the attention goes to the fat, and that gives you an intense bacon-flavored spirit.

It's less time consuming but requires more stirring and work. The taste is excellent.

Step 1

Start by cooking off about a pound of bacon, which will render you somewhere around four ounces of bacon fat.

Step 2

Put the rendered fat into a smaller container so it's easier to control when you're adding it to the vodka.

Step 3

Add the vodka to a neutral container. A mason jar works great.

Step 4

Add the four ounces of bacon fat to the vodka.

Step 5

Much like oil and water, vodka and bacon fat are not going to stay together for very long. So periodically, give it a good stir. Let it sit at room temperature for four to five hours. This is where the infusion takes place between the fats and the vodka.

You'll notice that even after just a couple of minutes, the bacon fats rise to the top and the vodka sits lower. Make sure every 15 to 20 minutes during that four-hour process that you stir so the bacon fats get plenty of exposure to the vodka. Set a reminder on your phone.

Step 6

After about four hours at room temperature, put the container in the freezer. This allows all of the fats to come together and float at the top of the vodka. It forms a nice solid layer that's easy to remove.

Step 7

After a few hours in the freezer, take a spoon and extract the fat layer from the container.

Step 8

Take the vodka and run it once through a coffee filter. If you want to go further, run it through a charcoal filter for a second pass.

The filter takes out all the bacon fat and solids. What you're left with is an intense bacon flavor in clean, clear vodka.

Method 2: Direct Bacon Strip Infusion

This is the more traditional route. Take some bacon, put it into vodka, and wait for the infusion to do its work. This process uses the actual bacon strips and vodka to merge flavors.

It takes days instead of hours, but it's hands-off once it's set up.

Step 1

Cook yourself some bacon. You only need 4 or 5 strips.

Step 2

Add vodka to a mason jar.

Step 3

Put the cooked bacon strips into the vodka.

Step 4

Place in the fridge and wait. You'll see the grease starting to come off the bacon and the color changing almost immediately.

For the strongest bacon flavor, keep it infusing for a few days. I wouldn't go longer than a week.

Step 5

After four days, you'll see the color has changed significantly and there's fat content floating at the top. We don't want that in our finished vodka.

Step 6

Strain everything through coffee filters (cheesecloth works too). The filter gets all of the bacon pieces and fat content out.

What you're left with is smooth, bacon-flavored vodka. Enjoy it on the rocks or in a cocktail.

Tips for Perfecting Your Infusion

• Use thick-cut bacon for richer flavor
• Let the vodka rest an extra day after filtering for smoother taste
• Experiment with smoked vs. maple bacon for different profiles
• Strain twice for the cleanest result

Bacon Infused Smoked Bloody Mary Recipe

If you've put in the work to make bacon vodka, here's where it pays off. The smoke from our Smoked Jalapeño Bloody Mary concentrate with homemade bacon-infused vodka makes a good brunch drink.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz bacon-infused vodka (fat-washed or strip-infused)
• 1-2 oz Stu's Smoked Jalapeño concentrate
• 4 oz tomato juice
• 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
• Dash of hot sauce (optional)
• Ice

Garnishes:

• Crispy bacon strip
• Pickle spear
• Jalapeño slice
• Lemon wedge
• Celery stalk

Directions:

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Pour in bacon vodka, concentrate, tomato juice, and lemon juice.
3. Give it a solid stir (don't shake).
4. Taste and adjust spice with hot sauce if you want more heat.
5. Load up your garnishes. Don't skip the bacon strip.

If you're watching carbs, this works with our keto Bloody Mary approach too. Just reduce the tomato juice and increase the concentrate.

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For more infusion ideas, see our full infused vodka recipes guide. Explore all three Bloody Mary concentrates to find the best pairing for your infusion. Learn more about how cocktail concentrates work as a base for your own drinks.