LONDON -- When it comes to cocktail ingredients, meat is probably the last thing you'd expect to find in your tipple. But, that's all changing with the arrival of 2016's biggest -- and most bonkers -- cocktail trend: meat cocktails.
Gone are the days of a straight-up martini with a twist; people are ditching cocktail bar staples in favour of something meatier, and we're not just talking about the post-pub kebab
Martinis
Fans of fry ups will be pleased to see their favourite breakfast food reimagined in carnivore-friendly cocktail form at the London Cocktail Club by way of a Bacon and Egg Martini (pictured above). The cocktail is made with Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 that's been infused with smoked bacon and maple syrup and garnished with a piece of maple bacon and a gummy egg sweet.
Bloody Marys
Bloody Marys have beefed up for 2016. Over at Powder Keg Diplomacy (PKD) in Battersea, bar tenders are using a technique called "fat washing" to infuse vodka with meaty flavours. To "fat wash" alcohol, bartenders take a knob of oil or solidified fat and add it to a spirit at room temperature. Once it's been sitting for a few hours, the liquid is then chilled. After the fat has solidified, it can be skimmed off, leaving a meat-infused, flavourful liquid.
PKD's Meaty Mary cocktail is made with vodka infused with topside of beef and a splash of gravy.
For their Bloody Caesar cocktail, staff cook smoked pork fat for a few days until it's reduced down to a rich liquid, before infusing vodka with the juices. They add 'clamato' juice to the mix -- that's tomato juice and clam broth -- and garnish it with a strip of crispy maple cured bacon.
Old Fashioneds
At fusion restaurant SushiSamba in Bishopsgate, London, bartenders also use the "fat washing" technique to make their Kobe Old Fashioned. The whiskey is washed with Kobe beef fat, before being added to a mix of maple and salted caramel.
Mojitos
Mojitos are always a popular choice, but what about a belly pork infused mojito? That's what's being served at the aptly-named Meat bar in Glasgow. Forget your standard mint garnish, this one comes with a slice of bacon on the side.
A photo posted by Kate (@thetravellingfamilycircus) on Sep 8, 2015 at 11:10am PDT
Margaritas
For those not in favour of animal fat-infused tipples, a simple meat garnish is a pared-back version for curious drinkers. At Copa de Cava in Blackfriars, London, the Margarita Rocks cocktail is made from tequila, amontillado, triple sec, lime and served with a garnish of Spanish Serrano ham.
Manhattans
This is not one for the faint of heart. London restaurant Duck & Waffle's foie gras and salted caramel Manhattan comprises Jack Daniels whiskey, infused with foie gras, a vermouth blend, salted caramel and maple.
Bacon sandwich, anyone?