Fat-wash
TechniqueA fat-wash is a spirit flavored with melted fat, such as bacon fat in bourbon, then frozen so the fat comes off in one piece.
Also called: fat washing · fat-washed spirit · fat-washed bourbon
- Benton's Old Fashioned ratio
- 2 oz (60 ml) bacon fat to 23.7 oz (700 ml) bourbon
- Infuse
- 1 day at room temperature
- Freeze to set the fat
- overnight, at least 8 hours
- Olive oil-washed vodka, one recipe
- 1.5 oz (44 ml) olive oil to 8.5 oz (250 ml) vodka, 5 days
What fat-wash means
You will see fat-washed spirits on cocktail menus, such as the Benton's Old Fashioned. Bartender Don Lee made the technique famous at PDT in New York with that drink, a bacon fat-washed bourbon. Its name still comes up whenever bartenders talk about the method.
The base is a spirit you would sip, and bourbon is the one in the Benton's example. Ratios vary. A moderate start is 1 part melted fat to 6 to 10 parts spirit by volume, and strong fats like bacon need less. For vodka, olive oil is one option. One olive oil-washed Martini recipe rests 1.5 oz (44 ml) of extra virgin olive oil in 8.5 oz (250 ml) of vodka for 5 days.
It is easy to assume a fat-washed spirit must taste greasy. Freezing fixes most of that, since the fat sets and lifts off in one piece. The last traces are caught by the coffee filter, which is why the straining step matters. Once strained, a butter-washed spirit can be stored indefinitely, according to America's Test Kitchen.
How to fat-wash bourbon
You need melted bacon fat, bourbon, a freezer and a coffee filter, and about a day of waiting before the fat comes off.
- 1.Melt the bacon fat, then pour it warm into the bourbon at 2 oz (60 ml) of fat to 23.7 oz (700 ml) of spirit.
- 2.Leave the mix at room temperature for about a day, shaking it now and then.
- 3.Freeze it until the fat sets solid, overnight if you can, which is at least 8 hours.
- 4.Lift the set fat off the top in one piece.
- 5.Strain the spirit through a coffee filter into a clean bottle, and seal it.
Fat-wash compared
- InfusionAn infusion steeps solids such as fruit or tea. A fat-wash steeps melted fat, then freezes the spirit so the fat can be lifted off.
- Clarified cocktailClarifying strips haze from a finished drink. Fat-washing adds flavor to a spirit before any drink is made.
Related terms
Ingredients
Put it to use in your next drink
Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.