Bacon Vodka- First time's a miss

Several weeks ago, as I embarked on a journey to experiment with infused vodkas, I read about trials to create a smoky bacon vodka. The concept seemed interesting to me. I believe many of the foods we love to eat may have interesting versions with vodka, and bacon has a taste that appeals to many people. So I fried about 200 gm of bacon (crispy) and drained the fat away. The cooked bacon was placed in an airtight glass container and covered with Absolut Vodka. I left the mixture to rest in a dark cupboard for about three weeks, checking and agitating it daily.
 
Earlier this week, I removed the bacon (ohh, that would have made an interesting BLT) and strained the vodka twice through coffee filters. Then everything went into a bottle and into the refrigerator to see if more fat would appear. After several days the mixture remained a light brown color and some sediment settled but no more fat. The aroma was apparent but not as I expected. Tasting the vodka on its own wasn't great. Not smoky or strong bacon in taste but more salty than anything. It wasn't looking promising.
 
This afternoon I set out to see if the vodka would stand up to a performance in a Bloody Mary. Overall, the drink was tasty and the flavors worked well together. I used Mr. & Mrs. T Bloody Mary Mix, a little Worcester Sauce and some Red Hot sauce. Still, the bacon taste wasn't as pronounced as I would like it. I think the score for the vodka would be 5 of 10. Interesting but not unpleasant. However not the wow factor I need to recommend it to others.
 
What went wrong and lessons learned?
 
1. I suspect the bacon was not as fresh as it should have been for this purpose. I used US-made sliced bacon from the freezer and I think some flavors from the plastic wrapping and/or freezer were transfered into the bacon. For my next attempt, I am going to hunt down some specialty bacon that is fresh. I may even consider smoking it first before cooking it if the butcher hasn't done it already. This issue underscores the importance of the right ingredients and the sensitivity of flavor transfer from the food source.
 
2. The other theory I am toying with right now is that the fat from the bacon plays an important role in retaining the bacon flavor. Instead of draining all the fat away before infusing, I will keep some or all of the fat with the cooked bacon. It can be strained and removed later in the preparation but I think the fat is important for the flavoring.
 
Someone recently reminded me it took Edison more than 1,000 attempts to perfect the light bulb. Let's hope I nail the Smoky Bacon Vodka well in advance of 1,000 tries. But it will be fun in the meantime. As for the first batch, I think it will be used for a recipe of Vodka Tomato Cream Penne. A port in every storm.

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