Fat washing liquor is all over your feed right now if you’re anything like us, and given that fat is kind of our thing, we had to give it a try. Fat washing is a technique where various fats from bacon fat to olive oil are used to bring out flavors in spirits and create a softer mouthfeel. Given that it’s the season of warm apple crisp and big cozy sweaters, we thought using Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Ginger butter could make something magical. We weren’t wrong.
To try this at home, all you need is 750 ml of rye whiskey and a 5-oz round of our CCG butter. Allow the butter to soften (or melt and slightly cool) and mix it with the whiskey. A container with a tight lid that you can shake vigorously is ideal for this. This mixture should sit at room temperature for a couple of hours and then you just stick it in the freezer over night. Whenever you’re ready, pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth into a new container. This may take a couple of rounds to get all of the butter out. Once filtered, you can use a funnel to pour it back into the bottle and you have a delightful and mildly spiced spirit.
Of course, we couldn’t just keep it that simple. We made it into a delicious spin on the Manhattan.
Just mix together 2 ounces of that fat-washed rye whiskey, 1 ounce of the sweet vermouth you like best, a couple of dashes of bitters with ice and strain into a martini glass or coupe. You’ll be impressed at the change this whiskey makes to a classic.