The Best Ingredient To Fat-Wash Bourbon Is Decadent Yet Simple

Choosing to fat-wash booze is a satisfying bartending technique that yields smooth, flavorful liquor you can stir into cocktails or simply sip straight. Duck fat has been used to wash bourbon, but sometimes, the ingredients hiding in plain sight can make for some of the most satisfying results. Take butter, for example.

Butter can impart creamy, rich notes to the booze of your choice. A spirit that has been fat-washed in butter offers a silkier mouthfeel that allows some of the booze's more subtle tasting notes to step forward. Including a butter-washed infusion in a classic Boulevardier is a simple move with big payoffs, as a full-flavored, savory beverage will be yours to serve and enjoy. Try fat-washing bourbon in brown butter or Irish butter to coax out earthier tones. Clarified butter or grass-fed butter can also enhance your infusions. While you may not want to use your most prized bottle of bourbon for your liquid experiments, fat-washing a dependable label can transform its expression. 

Select a decent, reliable bourbon like Buffalo Trace or Four Roses, then reach for butter to build an alcohol spa at home. Recipes typically use a 3:1 or 2:1 ratio of bourbon to fat. Melt the butter and pour it into a container that will also hold your selection of bourbon. After combining butter and bourbon, you'll want to let the two rest in their closed bath. The longer they are left alone to get to know each other, the more intense the flavors imparted to the alcohol will develop. It can be helpful to taste your boozy infusion periodically in order to judge its flavor and texture. You will need to pierce the congealed layer of fat that has formed on the surface and use a straw to take a sample from the bottom of the container. If, after assessment, the bourbon is to your liking, you can start the straining process.

As with any fat-washed cocktail, strain spirits thoroughly before serving or using your infusions to make a more interesting old fashioned cocktail. Once you have the fat-washing process mastered, you can experiment by using different kinds of ingredients in your buttery, boozy washes to create unique flavors. Consider adding herbs to your infusions for extra layers of taste in your drink. After the first sip, results will speak for themselves.