Today we look at Don Lee’s transcendent Old Fashioned which ended up changing the cocktail game forever.
The Benton’s Old Fashioned was created by forward thinking bartender Don Lee when he was working at Jim Meehan’s famous PDT (Please Don’t Tell) bar in NYC around 2007. Lee adapted this technique which he learned from another bartender Eben Freeman and this became the drink which made Fat Washing in cocktails pretty widespread.
The story goes that Lee borrowed some Benton’s Bacon from the restaurant next door Momofoku to make the Fat Wash and I will say, do NOT make this drink with Oscar Meyer Bacon, it is absolutely not the same thing. Get online and Order yourself some Benton’s directly from the farm and you will not be disappointed. Here’s a link: https://shop.bentonscountryham.com/
ON FAT WASHING:
Fat Washing Spirits is something that has really become popular over the last few years, Don Lee created this recipe after learning the technique from Barman Eben Freeman. Although PDT proprietor Jim Meehan had his doubts, the drink became the best selling drink at PDT for many years and popularized Fat Washing in the larger cocktail culture.
Fat washing is the simple technique of infusing anything with high fat content into spirits, letting it sit to room temp, then freezing to solidify the fat. Once the fat is removed the resulting liquid has taken on the flavor of said fat.
You can do this with anything from Peanut Butter to Olive Oil and Animal Fats. If you are using animal fats please practice safe food handling techniques to keep everyone healthy. Camper English made this website about cocktail safety and you all should check it out here: https://www.cocktailsafe.org/about-cocktailsafe.html
Also a quick note: I have the unfortunate habit of calling all straining “Double Straining” because I double strain hundreds of cocktails every week but the fact of the matter is the straining in this video is just straining, no more, no less. So don’t be confused.
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Here’s links to the tools I use in this episode:
Pyrex 4 Cup Measuring Cup
Pyrex One Cup Measuring Cup
Easy Cap Beer Bottles
Barfly Copper Measuring Cup
Barfly Copper Measuring Cup
Japanese Bitters Dasher
Angostura Bitters
Mercer Culinary Y Peeler Set
Barfly Japanese Style Ice Knife
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Benton’s Old Fashioned
Ingredients
- 2 oz Bacon Fat Washed Bourbon Use Benton’s Bacon for the best result
- .25 oz Maple Syrup Grade B or equivalent
- 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters Double with Japanese Dasher
Garnish
Instructions
- Add ingredients to glass
- Add Large Rock of Ice and stir until chilled
- Garnish with Orange Twist
Notes
.75oz (22.5ml) Bacon Fat (From Benton’s Bacon) Heat bacon over low heat until FULLY COOKED and bacon fat has melted off (approx. 5 minutes) BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BURN BACON! Combine Melted fat with bacon in a freezer safe non reactive container and let sit at room temp for Four Hours. Then place in freezer for another two hours. Afterward, extract the container and pull out the solid fat from the surface of the bourbon and discard. Strain the mixture through a cheese cloth or fine strainer to remove any other bits and bobs. Bottle and keep in fridge lasts approx. 2 months.
