A Bourbon-Bacon Meet Cute Can Give Your Summer Barbecue The Ultimate Mitch Morgan Experience
When bourbon meets bacon, the two ingredients come together in a mix of robust smoky and savoury flavours accompanied by just a light textural crunch. This is the ultimate Mitch Morgan experience – one which combines the smoky notes of a good quality bourbon with the chewy, salty and fatty taste of premium bacon in an interesting flavour pairing.
Origins Of The Cocktail
Both bourbon and bacon are elements which play a prominent role in the mixology and culinary cultures of the American southern and central regions. It is no wonder then that this inventive pairing was put together at a bar in Austin, Texas and was in fact named after a local patron who would always have a slice of crispy bacon with his bourbon.
It is said that bartenders were inspired by this coupling of the two elements and decided to put them together in a cocktail blend. This led to the creation of the Mitch Morgan cocktail which not only became a popular drink on bartenders’ menus across American bars but also became a turning point in experimental mixology.
The cocktail led imaginative mixes to become more than just quirky ingredients put together in flashy ways. Instead, it was a straightforward, yet innovative blend which put flavour over flash and poise over pretense.
Why Bacon-Bourbon Is A Match Made In Heaven
This is precisely why the bacon-bourbon match remains such an absolute mixology marvel. It brings together, with quiet dignity, two very densely flavoured and rich ingredients in a rather complimentary flavour balance. The Mitch Morgan recipe works because it blends salty, smoky, sweet and tart flavours of both its ingredients in such a way that the fattiness of the bacon cuts through the sharpness of the bourbon.
To taste this drink, one must ensure that the bourbon is had between alternate bites of bacon. With this, the drink which has acquired quite a cult popularity, exudes a robustly flavoured and layered feel where the charred effect of the bacon goes well with the oaky notes the bourbon acquires when it is stored in barrels for ageing.
A Summer Barbecue Hit
This blend of smoky, charred flavours is well-suited for summertime barbecues or brunch repasts. The complex, deep flavour notes of the drink pair well with grilled meats and veggies in a complimentary woody and earthy coupling.
Its savoury and spicy flavour complexity makes it an interesting alternative to serve with BBQ sliders too, because it mirrors the core flavours of the barbecue. Smoke meets smoke in such a coming together of the bourbon’s flavours and the barbecue’s charred notes.
The fattiness in the meat sliders or even brunch time staples like eggs benedict match the similarly crisp yet dense notes of the crunchy bacon which is integral to the drink’s recipe. Moreover, the light and subtle notes of fresh fruits and quiches which can sometimes be part of a summer brunch work towards rounding out the bourbon’s more potent flavours, leading to a well-balanced culinary and mixology pairing.
Here’s a simple recipe to craft the Mitch Morgan cocktail at home while hosting a summertime barbecue or a brunch hosted on warm mornings during this season:
Ingredients:
30 ml smoky bourbon
1 strip of thick-cut, crispy bacon
Method:
– To prepare the bacon, fry it on a pan until it is extra crispy and let it cool completely. Add 30 ml good quality smoky bourbon to a rocks glass and drape the crispy bacon around its rim. Another option is to skewer the bacon and rest it on the rim of the glass.
For Variations:
– Use a bacon-washed bourbon infused with its fatty flavours to prepare the cocktail for giving it a denser, smokier finish.
– Another variation involves rimming the serving glass with brown sugar and smoked paprika for an added briny, salty element.
– Maple syrup can be used to glaze the bacon strip before baking or frying it to introduce a candied, sweet twist.
Also Read: 6 Rum-Markable Cocktails To Make With Captain Morgan Rum
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
