Bacon Fat-Washed Bourbon
Bacon fat-washed bourbon is bourbon infused with melted bacon fat, chilled until the fat sets, then strained. It is the base of Benton’s Old Fashioned at 60ml a drink. We count it at the strength of the bourbon, 40% ABV, so 60ml is 2.4 UK units. It is made with pork fat and is not vegetarian.
Quick Facts
Imbibe says the washed bourbon can be stored at room temperature. Keep it bottled, capped and labelled.
None of the 14 listed allergens. Made with pork fat: not vegetarian or vegan, and not for anyone who avoids pork. Imbibe’s recipe declares no allergen.
About Bacon Fat-Washed Bourbon
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Bourbon with a smoky, savoury note carried over from the bacon fat, as Imbibe’s recipe intends.
Imbibe’s method uses 750ml of bourbon and 1½oz of bacon fat
Imbibe prints the method with the recipe by Don Lee for PDT in New York, and says the drink brought fat-washing to cocktails in 2007. Warm 1½oz, about 45ml, of bacon fat in a small pan over low heat, stirring until it melts. Pour the molten fat and 750ml of bourbon into a large non-reactive container and stir. Cover it and leave it at room temperature for 4 hours, then freeze it for 2 hours.
The fat sets solid on top. Lift it off with a spoon, strain the bourbon through cheesecloth and bottle it. A 750ml batch makes about 12 drinks at 60ml.
The wash, step by step, from Imbibe’s recipe
Melt
- What you do
- Warm the fat in a small pan over low heat, stirring
- Time
- Until melted
- Amount
- 1½oz, about 45ml, bacon fat
Combine
- What you do
- Pour fat and bourbon into a non-reactive container and stir
- Time
- A few minutes
- Amount
- 750ml bourbon
Rest
- What you do
- Cover and leave at room temperature
- Time
- 4 hours
- Amount
- Whole batch
Freeze
- What you do
- Freeze so the fat sets solid
- Time
- 2 hours
- Amount
- Whole batch
Strain
- What you do
- Lift off the fat, strain through cheesecloth and bottle
- Time
- Minutes
- Amount
- About 12 drinks at 60ml
| Step | What you do | Time | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melt | Warm the fat in a small pan over low heat, stirring | Until melted | 1½oz, about 45ml, bacon fat |
| Combine | Pour fat and bourbon into a non-reactive container and stir | A few minutes | 750ml bourbon |
| Rest | Cover and leave at room temperature | 4 hours | Whole batch |
| Freeze | Freeze so the fat sets solid | 2 hours | Whole batch |
| Strain | Lift off the fat, strain through cheesecloth and bottle | Minutes | About 12 drinks at 60ml |
Pork is in the bottle
The bourbon is made with pork fat. Straining removes the fat, but the spirit is still made from a pork product. Tell anyone who is vegetarian or vegan, or who avoids pork for religious or personal reasons, before you pour. Imbibe’s recipe declares no allergen, and pork is the issue.
We count it at the bourbon’s strength
Imbibe gives no strength for the washed bourbon, so we count the bourbon it starts from. Our bourbon entry counts 40%, which makes 60ml 2.4 UK units. The Benton’s Old Fashioned stirs it with 7.5ml of maple syrup and 2 dashes of Angostura bitters.
Using Bacon Fat-Washed Bourbon
Usage
Measure 60ml into a mixing glass with the maple syrup, the bitters and ice, and stir for 20 to 30 seconds, as the Benton’s Old Fashioned does.
Pro Tip
Make the wash ahead. Once strained the bourbon is a bottled ingredient, and a bar can pour it as it would any other bourbon.
Top Tips
- Label the bottle as containing pork fat.
- Freeze the mixture fully. The fat has to be solid to lift off in one piece.
- Strain through cheesecloth to catch any fat that breaks away.
- Use a bourbon you would drink in an Old Fashioned. The wash changes the spirit, not its base.
Possible Substitutions
- Whiskey (Bourbon): Plain bourbon makes an Old Fashioned, not a Benton’s: the savoury bacon note is gone
Production Method
Bourbon and melted bacon fat are stirred together, rested 4 hours at room temperature and frozen for 2 hours. The solid fat is lifted off and the bourbon is strained through cheesecloth.
History & Context
Imbibe credits Don Lee with introducing fat-washing to the cocktail world in 2007, with this drink, at PDT in New York.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is bacon fat-washed bourbon?
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Is it vegetarian?
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Why freeze it?
How many drinks does a batch make?
How long does it keep?
What can I use instead?
Which drinks use it?
Sources.
Correct as of 1 November 2026.
- Imbibe, “Benton’s Old Fashioned” (recipe by Don Lee for PDT; 2oz washed bourbon; wash method (1½oz bacon fat, 750ml bourbon, 4 hours, 2 hours frozen, cheesecloth); room-temperature storage; the 2007 fat-washing claim).
- NHS, “Calculating alcohol units” (units = ABV x ml / 1000; the 14-units-a-week guidance).
Made with Bacon Fat-Washed Bourbon
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Often Used With
Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 1 November 2026