BLT cocktail
{{Short description|Vodka cocktail with bacon, lettuce and tomato}}
{{Infobox cocktail
| iba =
| name = BLT
| image =BLT cocktail.jpg
| caption = BLT cocktail with Bloody Mary
| type = vodka
|vodka=yes
| served = straight
| garnish =Bacon salt
| drinkware =
| ingredients = Bacon
Lettuce or Liquor
Tomato
Vodka or Bacon vodka
| prep =
| notes =
| footnotes =
}}
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". 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.{{cite magazine|last=Buford|first=Bill|author-link=Bill Buford|title=Notes of a Gastronome: The Taming of the Chef – Can Gordon Ramsay make it here?|quote=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.|magazine=The New Yorker|volume=83|page=57|url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/04/02/070402fa_fact_buford|access-date=17 May 2013|date=2 April 2007}} 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.{{cite news|last=Gartland|first=Amy|date=July 2009|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/mix/index.ssf/how-to/give-your-cocktails-a-makeover.html|access-date=17 May 2013|title=Give Your Cocktails a Makeover|work=The Oregonian|publisher=Oregon Live, LLC; OregonLive, www.oregonlive.com|location=Portland, Oregon|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304094638/http://www.oregonlive.com/mix/index.ssf/how-to/give-your-cocktails-a-makeover.html|url-status=dead}} A variety of the BLT cocktail was invented in Aspen, Colorado and gained notice in August 2009.{{cite news|url=http://bacontoday.com/drinking-your-lunch-the-blt-cocktail/|title=Drinking Your Lunch – The BLT Cocktail|work=Bacon Today|access-date=17 May 2013|first=Mike|last=Kirsch|publisher=BaconToday.com|date=10 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608032734/http://bacontoday.com/drinking-your-lunch-the-blt-cocktail/|archive-date=2013-06-08|url-status=dead}} A different version was invented in Alexandria, Virginia and was popularized through coverage in August 2009 in the Associated Press.{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/a-meaty-drink-bacon-blt-cocktails-quench-hunger-thirst|title=A Meaty Drink: Bacon, BLT Cocktails Quench Hunger, Thirst|agency=Associated Press|work=Fox News|date=21 August 2009|access-date=17 May 2013|publisher=Fox News Network, LLC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024073715/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,541521,00.html|archive-date=24 October 2012|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite news|url=http://www.omaha.com/article/20100520/ENTERTAINMENT/705209900/-1&template=mobileart |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130630020006/http://www.omaha.com/article/20100520/ENTERTAINMENT/705209900/-1&template=mobileart |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 June 2013 |access-date=17 May 2013 |title=On the Town: Cocktail party hostess sets the bar high |first=Josefina |last=Loza |work=Omaha World-Herald |date=20 May 2010 |location=Omaha, Nebraska |page=14; Section: Go }}
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.{{cite news|title=For vodka cocktails, pick a flavor, any flavor|date=13 December 2011|first=Alison |last=Highberger|work=The Bulletin|location=Bend, Oregon|publisher=Western Communications Inc.; Database archived: NewsBank}} 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.{{cite news|first=Abby|last=Weingarten|title=The Key Lime Pie Martini|date=26 April 2012|work=The Sarasota Herald-Tribune|location=Florida|page=E38}} This version was a favorite selection among customers at The Table Creekside in Sarasota, Florida. The Food Network recommended additional ingredients including lemon juice, bourbon, Worcestershire sauce, and horseradish.{{cite news|url=http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/blt-cocktail-recipe/index.html|work=Food Network|title=B.L.T. Cocktail Recipe|first=Clarissa|last= Wei |access-date=17 May 2013|year=2013|publisher=Television Food Network G.P.}}
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.{{cite news|title=Only your arteries will object: Bacon – A new wave of cured-pork mania|work=The Globe and Mail|last=Boesveld|first=Sarah|date=26 August 2009|page=L1; Section: Globe Life|location=Canada|publisher=CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc.}} 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." Metromix called this edition of the beverage, "a zesty mix of bacon-infused vodka, tomato water and iceberg lettuce ice".{{cite news|url=http://dc.metromix.com/restaurants/standard_photo_gallery/new-ways-to-praise/1198642/photo/1198646 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130629211309/http://dc.metromix.com/restaurants/standard_photo_gallery/new-ways-to-praise/1198642/photo/1198646 |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 June 2013 |access-date=17 May 2013 |title=New ways to praise the piggy in the District |work=Metromix |location=Washington, D.C. |date=27 May 2009 }} Woman's Day magazine featured the concoction by Todd Thrasher in its article on "the most outrageous drinks" in the United States.{{cite news|work=Woman's Day|title=9 Crazy Cocktail Concoctions: Find out the most outrageous drinks being poured at U.S. bars and beyond|first=Mandy|last=Major|url=http://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/9-crazy-cocktail-concoctions-105044|access-date=17 May 2013|publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc. |year=2013}}
The drink was served in 2010 as part "Gastro art event" recommended by The Times. The newspaper compared the beverage to "the minimalism of Rothko".{{cite news|author=The Times staff|title=Summer with a twist: The art of dining|work=The Times|access-date=17 May 2013|url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/summerwithatwist/article2574457.ece|date=25 June 2010|publisher=Times Newspapers Limited; www.thetimes.co.uk|location=London|archive-date=1 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151201112315/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/summerwithatwist/article2574457.ece|url-status=dead}} The Willamette Week reviewed the Gilt Club in Portland, Oregon in 2011, and chose the BLT cocktail as part of its "Ideal Meal" feature.{{cite news|work=Willamette Week|title=The Best Restaurants in Portland 2011|url=http://wweek.com/portland/article-18078-restaurant-guide-2011-listing-a-z.html|access-date=17 May 2013|date=19 October 2011|publisher=Willamette Week Newspaper|location=Portland, Oregon}} 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."{{cite news|first=Amy K.|last=Anderson|work=Maine Magazine|title=Bintliff's, Ogunquit|url=http://www.themainemag.com/blog/eat-maine-blog/2053-bintliffs-ogunquit.html|access-date=17 May 2013|date=15 November 2012|publisher=Maine Media Collective|location=Maine|archive-date=13 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313125959/http://themainemag.com/blog/eat-maine-blog/2053-bintliffs-ogunquit.html|url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite news|first=Nilina |last=Mason-Campbell |work=Société Perrier |title=Drinking in... Portland |url=http://societeperrier.com/los-angeles/articles/drinking-in-portland |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130630082828/http://societeperrier.com/los-angeles/articles/drinking-in-portland |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 June 2013 |access-date=17 May 2013 |date=26 October 2012 |publisher=Mirrorball Group LLC }}
See also
{{Portal|Liquor|Drink}}
{{Clear}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
Further reading
- {{cite news|url=http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gutcheck/2009/10/the_novice_foodie_bacon_cocktail_blt_vodka_tour_de_moose_st_louis_food_blog_102009.php|access-date=17 May 2013|title=The Novice Foodie: Bacon, Shakin' and Bikin'|first=Kelli|last=Best-Oliver|date=20 October 2009|work=The Riverfront Times|location=St. Louis, Missouri|publisher=Riverfront Times, LLC; Novice Foodie|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230234839/http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gutcheck/2009/10/the_novice_foodie_bacon_cocktail_blt_vodka_tour_de_moose_st_louis_food_blog_102009.php|archive-date=2013-12-30|url-status=dead}}
- {{cite news|url=http://update.dit.ie/2010/14-06-10/docs/061410_licensing%20world_mulecular.pdf |access-date=17 May 2013 |title=Molecular Mixology: The New Frontier for Cocktails |work=Licensing World |page=52 |date=31 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231002117/http://update.dit.ie/2010/14-06-10/docs/061410_licensing%20world_mulecular.pdf |archive-date=31 December 2013 }}
- {{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/ae/food/restaurants/articles/2005/05/26/flight_plan/|work=The Boston Globe|first=Liza|last=Weisstuch|title=Up Front: Flight plan|date=26 May 2005|access-date=17 May 2013|publisher=The New York Times Company; www.boston.com|location=Boston, Massachusetts}}
External links
- [http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/blt-cocktail BLT Cocktail], The Splendid Table
- [http://thewateringmouth.com/blt-cocktail/ BLT Cocktail] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120181016/http://thewateringmouth.com/blt-cocktail/ |date=2017-11-20 }}, The Watering Mouth
- [http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/blt-cocktail-recipe/index.html B.L.T. cocktail recipe], Food Network
- [http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/blt-rum-cocktail-fdc1110 BLT Cocktail Recipe], Delish.com
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062437/http://www.baconunwrapped.com/2009/07/blt-cocktail.html BLT Cocktail], Bacon Unwrapped
- [http://www.drinkoftheweek.com/drink_recipes/blt-cocktail BLT Cocktail] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115040020/http://www.drinkoftheweek.com/drink_recipes/blt-cocktail |date=2013-11-15 }}, Drink of the Week
{{Bacon}}
{{Good article}}