Everything is better with bacon, even Wurstmeister Mike's favorite Bloody Mary recipe!
Serves 4
For Each Drink:
2 oz. bacon-infused vodka
1/2 cup Bloody Mary mix
1 bacon-rimmed glass
ice cubes to fill the glass 3/4 full
2 fried bacon-stuffed olives on a skewer
1 leafy, inner celery stalk
Combine the vodka and the mix, and pour over ice in a bacon-rimmed glass. Garnish with olives and celery.
Bacon-infused Vodka
1/4 cup melted bacon fat
1 cup vodka
1) Stir together the warm fat and vodka. Cover and store at warm temperature for 48 hours.
2) Refrigerate for several hours, until the fat is solid. Pour through a fine mesh strainer. The fat can be used to fry delicious burgers.
Bloody Mary Mix
2 cup tomato juice
2 tablespoon horseradish
4 to 6 dashes hot sauce
1 tablespoon green olive brine from jar
2 tablespoon lemon juice
Combine in a pitcher
Fried Bacon-Stuffed Olives
2 strips bacon, fried until crisp and finely chopped
3 tablespoon cream cheese
1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
8 jumbo green olives, pitted
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 small egg, beaten
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 cups peanut oil
1) In small bowl, combine the bacon, cream cheese and chipotle chili powder. Stuff the bacon-cheese mixture into the olives with a small spoon.
2) Set up the breading station with 3 shallow bowls: 1 with flour, 1 with egg and 1 with bread-crumbs. Roll the olives in flour, then egg and then bread-crumbs, pressing so the crumbs adhere. Refrigerate until ready to fry.
3) In small pot, heat the oil to 350 degrees. Fry 6 olives at a time until golden-brown, about a minute per batch. Drain on paper towels.
Bacon-Rimmed Glasses
1 strip crisp-fried bacon
1/2 lemon
In small food processor, grind the strip of crisp bacon until very fine. Rub the rim of glass with lemon, and dip the rim in bacon. Set aside to dry. Makes four rimmed glasses.