BLT
Cocktail
BLT cocktail with Bloody Mary
TypeMixed drink
Base spirit
ServedStraight up: chilled, without ice
Standard garnishBacon salt
Commonly used ingredientsBacon
Lettuce or Liquor
Tomato
Vodka or Bacon vodka

A BLT cocktail is a cocktail made out of the contents of a BLT sandwich, (bacon, lettuce and tomato), blended together with vodka. Variants on the drink include utilizing bacon vodka instead of traditional vodka, substituting liquor for lettuce, incorporating bacon salt, or including cucumber flavored vodka.

The drink gained popularity in the United States in 2009. Varieties of the beverage were served in regions including Colorado, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oregon, and Virginia. It has also achieved notice in Canada and the United Kingdom.

Frank Bruni, the chief restaurant critic for The New York Times, gave a favorable review in 2007 to a BLT cocktail made by chef Gordon Ramsay. An Associated Press review in 2009 of the BLT cocktail made by mixologist Todd Thrasher of Alexandria, Virginia described it as "a drink full of mind-bending, taste bud-tingling turns".[1] Food critics have given the beverage favorable reviews in The Boston Globe, The Times of London, and the Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based newspaper The Globe and Mail.

History

In 2007, Frank Bruni, the chief restaurant critic for The New York Times, favorably reviewed a BLT cocktail made by chef Gordon Ramsay.[2] The Oregonian reported in July 2009 that in an establishment in Oregon called the Gilt Club, mixologists coated the rim of the glass the BLT cocktail is served in with salt combined with crushed bacon.[3] A variety of the BLT cocktail was invented in Aspen, Colorado and gained notice in August 2009.[4] A different version was invented in Alexandria, Virginia and was popularized through coverage in August 2009 in the Associated Press.[1] A 2010 report by the Omaha World-Herald noted that a version of the drink made in Omaha, Nebraska substituted liquor in the acronym "BLT" instead of lettuce.[5]

The Bulletin noted that a 2011 edition of the drink produced in Oregon was made with bacon vodka manufactured on site at the restaurant The Blacksmith.[6] A report by The Sarasota Herald-Tribune in April 2012 observed that a variety on the cocktail made by mixologist Paul Yeomans in Florida was concocted utilizing bacon salt and tomato water, infused with cucumber vodka.[7] This version was a favorite selection among customers at The Table Creekside in Sarasota, Florida.[7] The Food Network recommended additional ingredients including lemon juice, bourbon, Worcestershire sauce, and horseradish.[8]

Analysis

In an August 2009 article for The Globe and Mail, Sarah Boesveld noted it was too difficult for individuals to make bacon vodka at home, and instead recommended they utilize bacon salt to make their own BLT cocktails or Blood Mary drinks with bacon.[9] In a 2009 restaurant review by the Associated Press, they described the BLT cocktail made by mixologist Todd Thrasher of Alexandria, Virginia as, "a drink full of mind-bending, taste bud-tingling turns. A huge ice cube, made with lettuce water, anchors a glass rimmed with bacon salt. Clear tomato water and bacon-infused vodka are mixed and poured over the lettuce cube."[1] Metromix called this edition of the beverage, "a zesty mix of bacon-infused vodka, tomato water and iceberg lettuce ice".[10] Woman's Day magazine featured the concoction by Todd Thrasher in its article on "the most outrageous drinks" in the United States.[11]

The drink was served in 2010 as part "Gastro art event" recommended by The Times.[12] The newspaper compared the beverage to "the minimalism of Rothko".[12] The Willamette Week reviewed the Gilt Club in Portland, Oregon in 2011, and chose the BLT cocktail as part of its "Ideal Meal" feature.[13] Bintliff's in Ogunquit, Maine served the beverage in 2012 to Amy K. Anderson of Maine Magazine, who commented, "The BLT cocktail has a wood smoke flavor that makes for very easy sipping."[14] In October 2012, Nilina Mason-Campbell of Société Perrier characterized the BLT cocktail served at the establishment Wildwood in northwest Portland, Oregon as one of the highlights of its menu.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "A Meaty Drink: Bacon, BLT Cocktails Quench Hunger, Thirst". Fox News. Fox News Network, LLC. Associated Press. 21 August 2009. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  2. ^ Buford, Bill (2 April 2007). "Notes of a Gastronome: The Taming of the Chef – Can Gordon Ramsay make it here?". The New Yorker. Vol. 83. p. 57. Retrieved 17 May 2013. Bruni liked some items (the B.L.T. cocktail—another Josh addition), disliked others (the turbot poached in wine), but the food was less important than the man.
  3. ^ Gartland, Amy (July 2009). "Give Your Cocktails a Makeover". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Live, LLC; OregonLive, www.oregonlive.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  4. ^ Kirsch, Mike (10 August 2009). "Drinking Your Lunch – The BLT Cocktail". Bacon Today. BaconToday.com. Archived from the original on 2013-06-08. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  5. ^ Loza, Josefina (20 May 2010). "On the Town: Cocktail party hostess sets the bar high". Omaha World-Herald. Omaha, Nebraska. p. 14; Section: Go. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  6. ^ Highberger, Alison (13 December 2011). "For vodka cocktails, pick a flavor, any flavor". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon: Western Communications Inc.; Database archived: NewsBank.
  7. ^ a b Weingarten, Abby (26 April 2012). "The Key Lime Pie Martini". The Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida. p. E38.
  8. ^ Wei, Clarissa (2013). "B.L.T. Cocktail Recipe". Food Network. Television Food Network G.P. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  9. ^ Boesveld, Sarah (26 August 2009). "Only your arteries will object: Bacon – A new wave of cured-pork mania". The Globe and Mail. Canada: CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. p. L1; Section: Globe Life.
  10. ^ "New ways to praise the piggy in the District". Metromix. Washington, D.C. 27 May 2009. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  11. ^ Major, Mandy (2013). "9 Crazy Cocktail Concoctions: Find out the most outrageous drinks being poured at U.S. bars and beyond". Woman's Day. Hearst Communications, Inc. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  12. ^ a b The Times staff (25 June 2010). "Summer with a twist: The art of dining". The Times. London: Times Newspapers Limited; www.thetimes.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 December 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  13. ^ "The Best Restaurants in Portland 2011". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon: Willamette Week Newspaper. 19 October 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  14. ^ Anderson, Amy K. (15 November 2012). "Bintliff's, Ogunquit". Maine Magazine. Maine: Maine Media Collective. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  15. ^ Mason-Campbell, Nilina (26 October 2012). "Drinking in... Portland". Société Perrier. Mirrorball Group LLC. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.

Further reading

External links

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