Bacon-infused vodka, parts 4-5

Part 4: Labelling

Stephen won the naming contest and my creation now goes by "Crisp."

Part 5: Enjoying

So we each tried a sip of Crisp straight-up. I must say, everyone was pleased. Or maybe "pleasantly surprised" is more accurate. But pleasant, nonetheless.

It smells very strongly of bacon. But I think we were all afraid the similarities would end there and the taste would be all vodka. But no, it definitely tastes like bacon, start to finish. I used a peppercorn bacon, not a maple, so the effect is smoky.

We then went for the bloody marys (I have decided that's the correct spelling of the plural, not "ies" but I haven't researched this point.), which were also quite good, though you have to make them pretty strong to get the baconness all the way through.

Anyway, it was actually good, so now that I have the mason jar and funnel, I might make another batch. We did a little brain-storming on how else to use bacon-infused vodka and came up pretty short on cocktails. I mean, it doesn't seem like you want anything fizzy... or fruity... Could make an alright shot, maybe with a little Tabasco thrown in. Could also make for a badass vodka sauce for pasta. But that's about all I've got on that. The bloody mary seems to be the proper venue for this gem.

In related news, Neena informed me that a New York establishment is using bacon-infused bourbon to make maple old fashioneds. So that may be a project for another day.

For anyone's interest, a round-up of a few other bacon-related products I've noticed:

• Bacon maple lollipops. ("A perfect gift for the sweet-toothed pork aficianado in your life.")
• Vosges Chocolate Flying Pig with bacon.
• Bacon Salt. "A zero calorie, vegetarian, kosher certified seasoning salt that makes everything taste like real bacon." The mind reels. The pictures of proposed vessels for this seasoning include french fries, corn on the cob, chicken and hamburger. Awesome. I'm also thinking it would be excellent for rimming the glass on my bloody marys. I also note Operation Bacon Salt on the website--an effort to provide bacon salt to the brave men and women serving our country in the armed services. Hmm.