Bakon Vodka

I saw Bakon Vodka at my favorite liquor and I had a good chuckle. A lot of products, some non-food related, are becoming bacon-flavored. Everything tastes better with bacon, right?

I asked the clerk about it and he said it smelled like bacon but didn't try it. He made a joke imagining it wouldn't be good as a Bacon vodka tonic. It seems, however, to be just right for Bloody Marys. It is being advertised as "the only vodka you'll ever want to use to make a Bloody Mary, and it's a complementary element of both sweet and savory drinks."

From Black Rock Spirits in Washington, here is Bakon Vodka's story:

We started out testing various infusions in our kitchen in the fall of 2007. We wanted to do it right, to create a premium-quality vodka you'd enjoy drinking. To match an infusion, we tested recipes for over two years, finally landing at the one true "Bakon Vodka".

We start with a superior quality potato vodka. Distilled in Idaho from potatoes, it is smooth, slightly sweet with the well-rounded flavor that you only get from a quality potato distillation, with no strong burn or aftertaste. Our vodka is column-distilled using a single heating process that doesn't "bruise" the alcohol like the multiple heating cycles needed to make a typical pot-still vodka. Getting the perfect savory bacon flavor took us a while to get right too. We wanted it to have the essence of a delicious crisp slice of peppered-bacon.

After numerous recipes and a lot of testing, we got it right. And we think you'll agree.

You can access recipes for drinks here. From the Bakon Chocolate Martini and the Scottish Bacon to Bakon Vodka marinated Steak, the recipes offer a decent range of tastes. The quality of taste, that is a different question?

I have read some reviews and some people love it so much, love the smoky, real bacon flavor and my favorite negative review, some guys wrote that is tasted "like pig's ass." It has received a lot of attention on television from late night show hosts Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien, to print Maxim Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, to CNN and NPR.

Great, alright, whatever, how does it taste?

I enjoy my Bloody Marys. That is the first thing I thought about when I saw bacon-flavored vodka and I wanted to try it real bad.

I used Tabasco's Bloody Mary mix for the base. It has the right amount of heat that I like and it is seasoned really well with a good tomato flavor. Added a few shots of Bakon vodka, ice, and loaded the glass with homemade pickles and pickled green beans from my garden. Also, I added a few splashes of Worchestershire sauce, soy sauce, and lemon juice and topped it off with some celery seed.

My garnish consisted of pitted green olives, pepperoni, and cocktail onions.
I really enjoyed it!!! The bacon flavor really does come out, makes it presence known and is not overbearing. There is a hint of smokiness that is noticeable in the drink. I wouldn't say it is a perfect accompaniment to a Bloody Mary but I would definitely recommend using it. I prefer a meatier Bloody than one stuffed with greens and veggies. Give me meat sticks, pepperoni, heck, I had a Bloody in Saint Louis that put a pork rib in the glass.
I haven't tried any other of the recipes that the company offers but after reading them, I think I will just use this vodka for Bloodys. Bacon-infused vodka mixed with banana liquor or irish creme are not really the drinks for me. I also don't think this vodka is for straight-up shots. I mean, go ahead, if you want but on its own, it didn't shine.

I also thought it was a little over-priced. A sleek, clear bottle with the brand of Bacon, new popular item on the market, I'm sure they thought they add a few bucks. Retailed at $26.99, it is not too pricy but for me, a one-trick pony, it could have been cheaper.
Honestly though, after drinking two or three of the Bacon Bloody Marys and literally becoming pork drunk, I would probably be up for trying any weird bacon vodka recipes.