Fat Washing

Fat washing brings savory and rich flavors into spirits that would otherwise be impossible to achieve. Alcohol acts as a solvent that extracts both fat-soluble and water-soluble flavor compounds from the fat, creating a spirit infused with entirely new taste dimensions.

The technique is rooted in the French perfumery process called enfleurage, which uses fat to capture aromatic compounds. Bartender Eben Freeman explored similar ideas at WD-50 in New York, and the technique spread through the New York cocktail community in the mid-2000s. The drink that made fat washing famous was the Benton's Old Fashioned, created by bartender Don Lee at PDT (Please Don't Tell) in 2007, using bacon fat-washed bourbon from Benton's Smokehouse in Tennessee.

The basic process involves warming a fat — bacon fat, butter, coconut oil, olive oil, duck fat, or almost any flavorful fat — and combining it with a spirit in a container. The mixture is left to infuse at room temperature for one to four hours, then placed in the freezer. Once the fat solidifies (usually within two to three hours), it is skimmed or strained from the surface of the spirit. The flavor compounds extracted from the fat remain in the liquid.

The resulting spirit carries the essence of whatever fat was used — smokiness from bacon, richness from butter, or floral notes from coconut — along with a subtle increase in body and mouthfeel. Darker spirits such as bourbon, rye, rum, and Cognac respond especially well to fat washing because their existing flavor profiles complement savory and rich notes. Vodka and gin can also be fat washed for cocktails where a clean fat-forward flavor is desired.