The Benton’s Old Fashioned is the drink that made fat-washing understandable to a generation of bartenders. Don Lee took bourbon scented with intensely smoky Tennessee bacon, sweetened it with maple syrup and tightened it with Angostura bitters. The result sounds like a stunt. In the glass, it is disciplined and subtle.
Lee created the drink during PDT’s early years in New York’s East Village. Sources differ on whether it debuted in 2007 or 2008, so there is no reason to force a false precision. PDT remains open, hidden behind the phone booth inside Crif Dogs, but its official site did not publish a current cocktail list in October 2026. That means current availability and price are unconfirmed even though the drink’s connection to the bar is exceptionally well documented.
The Real PDT Recipe
Lee’s published formula is remarkably short: 2 ounces of bacon fat-washed Four Roses bourbon, a quarter-ounce of dark maple syrup, 2 dashes of Angostura and an orange twist. The wash used rendered fat from Benton’s Country Hams in Madisonville, Tennessee, whose heavily smoked bacon gave the cocktail its name.
The inspiration was breakfast, but not in a cartoonish way. Lee has explained that maple made sense beside bacon, Angostura supplied structure and orange peel connected to breakfast orange juice. The twist also puts citrus oil in front of the bacon aroma, allowing smoke to arrive later in the sip.
Why Typical Copycats Fail
The obvious failure is leaving grease in the bourbon. Fat-washing is an aroma extraction followed by removal, not an invitation to pour bacon drippings into a glass. After the rest, freeze the mixture solid and filter it patiently. If visible particles remain, use a fresh coffee filter and pass it again.
Too much fat creates another problem. A little rendered Benton’s fat can perfume a full bottle. Doubling it makes the spirit smell like a skillet and hides the bourbon. Lee’s drink was designed to be subtle enough to finish, not to win a shock-value contest.
Finally, pancake syrup will not behave like real maple syrup. Use a dark, robust pure maple syrup. The old recipe language says Grade B, but U.S. grading changed in 2015; the modern equivalent is generally sold as Grade A Dark Color, Robust Taste.
The Key Technique: Wash, Freeze, Filter
Cook the bacon gently and collect clean rendered fat without burned crumbs. Warm 1 1/2 ounces only until liquid, then combine it with one 750 ml bottle of bourbon in a nonreactive container. Stir, cover and leave it for four hours at room temperature.
Freeze the container for two hours. The fat should form a firm cap that lifts away from the bourbon. Pour the spirit through a fine strainer, then through coffee filters until it is clear. Keep it sealed and chilled, and remember that the finished bottle contains pork even when no visible fat remains.
For the cocktail, dissolve maple in bourbon and bitters before adding ice. Stir for 20 to 25 seconds. That dilution lowers the alcoholic heat while leaving the drink silky, then one large cube keeps it cold without flooding it.
Batch Eight Drinks
Combine 16 oz (480 ml) bacon fat-washed bourbon, 2 oz (60 ml) dark maple syrup and 16 dashes Angostura in a clean bottle. Shake firmly so the syrup disperses, then refrigerate.
For each serving, measure 2 1/4 oz (67 ml) of batch into a mixing glass and stir with ice for 20 to 25 seconds. Strain over a large cube and cut each orange twist shortly before serving. Fresh peel oil is essential to the drink’s layered aroma.
The Smokehouse Old Fashioned Mocktail
The zero-proof version does not attempt a bacon wash. A strong spoonful of lapsang souchong tea provides dry wood smoke, while a 0.0% whiskey alternative supplies oak, vanilla and spice. Use aromatic bitters specifically labeled alcohol-free, since standard Angostura contains alcohol.
Dark maple remains the bridge between smoke and orange. Stir the mocktail slightly less than the alcoholic version because the tea already contributes water. Express a wide orange peel over the surface and around the rim. That bright first aroma is what keeps both versions balanced.
