Benton’s Old Fashioned

Name: Benton’s Old Fashioned
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

RECIPE: Don Lee for PDT, New York City

Photo: Eric Medsker

May 08, 2026

Don Lee’s American breakfast-inspired modern classic, featuring bacon and maple syrup, first introduced the fat-washing technique to the cocktail world in 2007. The Old Fashioned twist has been a mainstay at PDT, its birthplace, ever since.

Ingredients

2 oz. Benton’s bacon fat-washed bourbon
1/4 oz. Vermont grade B maple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Tools:mixing glass, barspoon
Glass:rocks
Garnish:orange twist

Preparation

Add all of the ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir to chill. Strain into a chilled rocks glass. Garnish.
Benton’s Bacon Fat-Washed BourbonWarm 1 1/2 oz. of bacon fat in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring continually until the fat melts. Pour the molten fat and 750ml of bourbon into a large nonreactive container and stir. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 4 hours, then freeze the mixture for 2 hours. Remove solid fat with a spoon, then strain the bourbon through a cheesecloth and bottle. Can be stored at room temperature and lasts forever.