The BLTini: A comforting bacon sandwich–in a glass!
By Susie Timm, Chief Operating Foodie/Bacon Afficionado
Ahhh, Bacon. I love the smell. I love the sizzle. I even love that it is so sinfully bad for me. Everything genuinely is better with bacon.
I am always on the hunt for new and exciting uses for bacon. I read about 5 different cooking magazines per month and get excited by all the bacon news. Bacon cupcakes. Bacon syrup. Bacon lip balm. Bacon peanut brittle. The possibilities are endless.
Imagine the joy I felt when last week when I was offered the chance to try a BLTini. Yes. That is correct. A martini that tastes like a BLT. I was elated but slightly skeptical. Can a drink really taste like a BLT??
Marianne Markogianis and Peter Kasperski of Digestif, Cowboy Ciao and Kazimierz were more than happy to introduce me to yet another type of bacon goodness!
We headed over to Digestif in its new, more intimate location and were treated to a cocktail spectacle.
There's a lot of cool pig-themed drawings at Digestif! Must be that bacon vodka they are using as inspiration...
Peter assembled the necessary ingredients:
¾ oz homemade Bacon Vodka
1 ½ oz Tomato Water
2 leaves chopped Basil
1 drop liquid smoke
2 drops Cholula hot sauce
3 crushed pink peppercorns
The ingredients await their martini fate...
Combine vodka, tomato water, 1 basil leaf, liquid smoke, and Cholula with ice and shake vigorously.
Shake and pour!
Pour into martini glass and garnish with 2nd basil leaf and crushed pink peppercorns.
The BLTini in all its glory!
Voila! Comfort food in a cup. Wow. I took my first sip. Ahhh, bacon. I was fairly stunned by how much the drink really does taste like a BLT.
I would enjoy it before any pork or tomato based dish. Of course not everyone can make homemade bacon vodka or tomato water. It’s a very long and involved process. Frankly, you should just hang out at the food bar at Digestif and pick Executive Chef Payton Curry’s brain. He’s a super nice dude. He’s from Rochester, Minnesota (like my husband) and will be glad to share the bacon vodka secrets. It is much easier however, to saddle up, order a BLTini and some super fresh and organic food. Sip and enjoy!
Thanks Peter! Cheers!
Thanks Peter and Marianne for placating my endless need for creative uses of bacon. I will be back soon!
