We’ve decided to close out our month(s) with infusions with a bang: an over-the-top, savory cocktail, our first using avocado. Avocado? Yes, avocado! And bacon-washed Bourbon. We’re calling it the Tex-Mex cocktail, and we think you’ll really enjoy it! – Andrew

The Tex-Mex

2 oz Bacon-Washed Bourbon
1 oz Avocado-Lime Purée
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 dash Sriracha Sauce

To make the bacon-washed bourbon: collect the melted fat of half a rasher of bacon and strain it through a fine-meshed sieve to remove any solids. Then pour the still-liquid fat into a jar or bowl and add a bottle of bourbon.  Let it sit, agitating it periodically, until the fat has solidified on the surface of the bourbon. (Sticking the bourbon in the freezer for a few hours until the fat is firmly solid helps with the next part.) Scrape off the fat, discarding it, and then strain the bourbon through a coffee filter to remove any remaining fat. Decant the bourbon back into its bottle. (“Fat-washing” is just a cocktail nerd’s way of saying “fat infusion.”)

To make the purée: combine the flesh of one avocado with the juice of two limes and blend until smooth.

To make the Tex-Mex, combine the bourbon, purée, syrup, and Sriracha in a cocktail shaker filled two-thirds with ice. Shake well and double-strain the drink, pouring through a sieve, into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Enjoy!

This is a fun but odd drink, very different from the sweet or bitter or fruity or herbaceous drinks we usually make here. Instead, it’s smoky and rich from the bacon and bourbon; it has a silky, luxuriant texture from the avocado; it’s savory and has a spicy hot edge to it. It’s a big, bold drink with a lot of flavor. Not something I’d drink every day, but a fun way to play with the boundaries of where cocktails can go.

I’ve seen avocado pop up in cocktails lately and it’s an ingenious ingredient to include. Despite its delicious, delicious taste when eaten on toast or in guacamole, the flavor tends to disappear when confronted by the strong flavors of alcohol. But it does lend a drink a thick, rich texture, the sort you might get from mixing in gum syrup or egg whites but much bigger and bolder. But, once puréed, it lacks the pulpiness you might get from adding, say, fruit to a drink. I’m actually surprised that it doesn’t turn up in cocktail more often.

(Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, where we’ve been posting our experiments before they make their way onto this column!)

Glassware by Liquorary

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper