How to Make Spicy Bacon Moonshine

Flickr photo by Daniel Krueger

Bacon vodka has gained some notoriety among baconistas and others who enjoy their bloody marys, caesars and other drinks with a touch of bacon flavor. Also popular, although perhaps not as notorious, are chile pepper infused vodka and tequila. As far as I know, however, no one has infused alcohol with both bacon AND hot peppers, nor has anyone used moonshine (the legal stuff available in liquor stores) to make either a bacon or a chile-infused liquor. The following recipe remedies this glaring omission from the panoply of baconalia.

Admittedly, I haven't tried making this spicy bacon moonshine--yet. But when I do, this is my plan. And I will post my review on this blog after I've made it.

In the meantime, if you are brave enough to try this recipe, or if you have your own recipe for making a bacon-infused spicy moonshine, vodka, tequila or other such liquor, please do share your thoughts or recipe with us in a comment--and photos are welcome, too!

You'll need a quart-size canning jar (e.g., mason jar) or two pint-size canning jars for making this concoction, and then another quart or liter-sized (or two pint size) sterilized glass bottles or jars for storing the finished product.  You'll also need cheesecloth and possibly also a paper coffee filter or two for straining the liquor.

Ingredients

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6 slices bacon
14 dried cayenne peppers or other small/thin dried red chiles
1 quart or liter of moonshine (legal, although we won't tell if it's not), or vodka or tequila

Fry the bacon, then drain on paper towels, blot off as much grease as possible and allow to cool.  Place the chiles in the sterilized jar.  Add the bacon--if using pint jars and the strips are too long, simply break in half.  Pour in the alcohol, close tightly with lid, and store in a cool, dark cupboard for 3 weeks.

After 3 weeks, place the jar(s) in your freezer overnight to solidify the bacon fat. When it's solid, remove the jar(s) from the freezer and remove the solidified fat plus the bacon strips (tongs would make this easier). Discard the fat and the bacon--from what I've read in other recipes, it won't taste good so there's no point in saving it.  Cover the top of the jar with a double layer of cheese cloth and then carefully strain into the sterilized storage bottle(s). Discard the peppers and any other strained solids. You can repeat this process using a coffee filter to strain more finely if desired.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria