The “It’s Foie-Nominal” fat-washed cocktail. (Photo by BLT Steak)
While some strong souls still sticking to New Year’s resolutions may be trying to get drunk and not fat this February, the recent addition of fat-washed cocktails on District bar menus are giving Washingtonians a reason to embrace fat as a way to a more flavorful cocktail.
Fat-washing is undoubtedly an unusual concept. But the technique itself is relatively simple. Step one is to grab some alcohol. Next, add some fat. Step three is to wait. At the end of a few days spent melding with the alcohol, the fat is strained away, leaving a subtle fatty flavor that’s not typically associated with boozy beverages.
The whole process is essentially a simple infusion that most people are familiar with, albeit with bacon, butter, or brisket instead of lemon, mint, or pumpkin spice.
This fat-washing technique first garnered major attention back in the mid-2000s thanks to mixologist Don Lee, who created the now famous Benton’s Old Fashioned at PDT (Please Don’t Tell) in New York. A combination of bacon fat-washed bourbon, maple syrup, and orange zest, the drink is basically all the flavors of breakfast in a glass. Other bartenders immediately went gaga for the idea and Wagyu old fashioneds, bacon-infused Bloody Marys, and chocolate and stilton martinis hit bar menus across the globe.
And now, D.C. is getting in on the fun with its own batch of interesting fat-washed cocktails (some are even vegetarian). BLT Steak (1625 I St. NW), for example, features the “It’s Foie-Nominal,“ a combination of goose-liver infused Woodford Reserve Bourbon, fig syrup, and a port-soaked fig garnish. The team at Tilt Side Bar (1612 14th St. NW) has concocted the PNBL WZRD, bringing together peanut butter-washed vodka with lemon and zinfandel wine. Provision 14 (2100 14th St. NW) serves up the Redenbacher Old Fashioned, made from popcorn butter infused rum, brown sugar, and angostura bitters.
The fact that these flavors are unusual for a bar menu is typically what both attracts and repels people to fat-washed drinks.
“I wanted to stretch the boundary of a cocktail,” explains James Nelson, beverage director of BLT Steak.
While Nelson admits that many customers are initially turned off by the idea of drinking goose-liver, he says the fat-washing technique adds a greater depth of flavor and a much silkier mouth feel that’s difficult to replicate on a typical citrus- and sugar-heavy bar list.
If these concoctions sound more like a meal than a drink, you’d be correct.
“I take a lot of inspiration from food,” says Ian Fletcher, beverage director of The Fainting Goat (1330 U St. NW).
By pairing a nutty Oloroso sherry with fresh apple juice and a light simple syrup of rosemary and cardamom, Fletcher’s “Duck Hunt” cocktail closely mirrors the flavors of a robust duck and apple dish that could easily be showcased on the establishment’s dinner menu. It goes without saying then, as Fletcher claims, that “fat washing is slightly more food-friendly than your average infusion.”
While a number of restaurants have attempted and then subsequently dropped fat-washing from their bar programs (Bar Charley, for example, previously offered the Quack-Quack-erac, a duck fat based twist on a classic Sazerac), outlets like Washington City Paper are predicting the technique will continue to become more popular this year in the nation’s capital. So foie gras and bacon lovers rejoice; it’s time to eat your fat and drink it too.
