A Bacon Martini, also known as Bacontini, Pig On The Rocks or a Bloody Bacon Martini, is a cocktail

Cocktail

A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...

 that consists of bacon-infused vodka

Bacon vodka

Bacon vodka is vodka infused with bacon flavor, part of a larger trend of "carnivorous cocktails" and the addition of savory flavor to mixed drinks...

 and is served with a garnish that can include ingredients such as strips of bacon, bacon bits and olives. Variants may include the addition of Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary (cocktail)

A Bloody Mary is a popular cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice, and usually other spices or flavorings such as Worcestershire sauce, Peri-Peri Sauce, Tabasco sauce, beef consomme or bouillon, horseradish, celery, olive, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and celery salt...

 mix. While not a proper vodka martini, which consists of vodka and vermouth

Vermouth

Vermouth is a fortified wine flavored with various dry ingredients. The modern versions of the beverage were first produced around the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Italy and France...

, the Bacon Martini is in line with the modern trend of calling any straight liquor in a martini glass a "martini," such as the Saketini

Saketini

Saketini is the name of a cocktail that uses sake and other ingredients such as simple syrups, distilled spirits, liqueurs, juices and garnishes...

 or other variations.

Origin

The Bacon Martini was invented independently by Sang Yoon, owner of the gastropub

Gastropub

Gastropub or Gastrolounge refers to a bar and restaurant that serves high-end beer and food.The term gastropub, a portmanteau of gastronomy and pub, originated in England in the late 20th century. English pubs were drinking establishments and little emphasis was placed on the serving of food. If...

 Father's Office in Santa Monica

Santa Mônica

Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...

, and P. Moss, owner of the Double Down Saloon in Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

. Sang Yoon made his Bacon Martini in 1998, inspired by the Bacon of the Month Club run by the Grateful Palate in Fairfield

Fairfield, California

Fairfield is a city located in Solano County in Northern California, USA. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, approximately from the city center of both cities, approximately from the city center of Oakland, less than from Napa Valley, 18...

, California. P. Moss appears to have concocted his Bacon Martini the same year. Sang Yoon's version of the drink uses juniper

Juniper

Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...

-cured bacon, while P. Moss's method calls for hickory

Hickory

Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...

-smoked bacon.

Preparation

In order to make a bacon martini, the vodka needs to be prepared in advance through a process called Fat Washing. This is done by soaking strips of cooked bacon in a bottle of vodka and straining off the fat, similar to the process for marinating

Marination

Marination is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. The origins of the word allude to the use of brine in the pickling process, which led to the technique of adding flavor by immersion in liquid...

 meat before cooking. The drink is ready when the liquid becomes filmy and opaque. At the Double Down Saloon in the East Village

East Village, Manhattan

The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...

 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, the bacon martini is created by straining the bacon-infused vodka through shaken ice, serving it in a martini glass with a piece of bacon at the bottom, similar to the worm in a bottle of mezcal

Mezcal

Mezcal, or mescal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from the maguey plant native to Mexico. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl metl and ixcalli which mean 'oven cooked agave.'...

.

Taste

The taste of bacon martinis is similar to that of vodka martinis, but with a spicier and saltier bacon flavor and a tangy "heat". According to a saloon owner, the pork fat reacts with vodka to give the drink its unique taste. Reviews of the beverage have been varied, with one drinker comparing it to Castrol

Castrol

Castrol is a brand of industrial and automotive lubricants which is applied to a large range of oils, greases and similar products for most lubrication applications...

 motor oil

Motor oil

Motor oil or engine oil is an oil used for lubrication of various internal combustion engines. The main function is to lubricate moving parts; it also cleans, inhibits corrosion, improves sealing, and cools the engine by carrying heat away from moving parts.Motor oils are derived from...

, and a bacon enthusiast saying it is a satisfying and delicious beverage on many levels. A club in San Francisco was selling bacon martinis with bourbon

Bourbon whiskey

Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...

 instead of vodka (which is actually a Mitch Morgan

Mitch Morgan

A Mitch Morgan is a cocktail that consists of a shot of bourbon whiskey served with a piece of fried bacon as a cocktail garnish.A vegetarian variation on the theme is called a "Courtney Morgan" and is instead garnished with a vinaigrette doused broccoli crown.The Mitch Morgan is a popular...

), arguing that vodka absorbs too much of the charcoal smokiness flavor.