Cherrywood Bacon-Infused Manhattan

INGREDIENTS

2-3 dashes cocktail bitters
Ice cubes
1½ ounces bacon-infused bourbon (recipe follows)
½ ounce dry vermouth
¼ ounce sweet vermouth
1 strip crisp, cooked HORMEL® BLACK LABEL® Premium Cherrywood Bacon, crisply cooked
1 cherry, for garnish
1 twist orange rind, for garnish
Bacon-Infused Bourbon
2 ounces bacon fat
4 ounces boiling water
1½ cups bourbon

DIRECTIONS

To Mix Cocktail
1. Swirl bitters in chilled tumbler glass.
2. Fill cocktail shaker with large ice cubes. Add bacon-infused bourbon and vermouths.
3. Shake vigorously. Strain cocktail into chilled tumbler glass.
4. Garnish with bacon strip, skewered cherry, and orange rind. Makes 1.

Bacon-Infused Bourbon
1. Melt bacon fat and strain into bowl.
2. Add boiling water. Stir well and leave until melted fat has set.
3. Remove set bacon fat, scraping off any sediment from bottom. Repeat melting process.
4. Combine bourbon and bacon fat in quart-size jar. Seal and shake vigorously.
5. Leave bourbon to infuse at room temperature 5 to 8 hours.
6. Put jar in freezer until all bacon fat has solidiﬁed at the surface of the bourbon, about 1 hour.
7. Remove and discard bacon fat. Strain bourbon through ﬁne mesh sieve lined with 2 coffee ﬁlters.