This is how I started off my New England Soiree.

I always like to welcome guests with some cocktails and something to nibble on.

Ok, so the nibbling part failed me a little, because these pickle fries are sooooo good that one of my guests gobbled the whole plate and (I think) had trouble finishing the rest of the meal. Oh well, don’t say I didn’t warn you…these pickles are addictive!

The pickles went especially well with the bacon infused Bourbon I made. This recipe was adapted from my PDT cocktail book and should be served in an Old Fashioned glass. Another thing I like to do when I serve drinks straight up is use my big round ice molds. You’ll never have a watered down drink again!

The Bee’s Knees is a classic Prohibition-era cocktail. It’s gin, lemon juice and honey, so it tastes very fresh and is a lot more ladylike than the above-mentioned. I guess you could say it’s a yin-yang cocktail pick.

Serve it up in a coupe glass.

Recipe

Benton’s Old- Fashioned

Adapted from here

1.5 oz bacon fat

1 750 ml bottle Bourbon

On low heat, warm bacon fat in a small saucepan. Stir until it melts, about five minutes. Combine the fat and bourbon in a container and stir. Infuse for 4 hours, then place the container  in the freezer for 2 hours.

Remove the fat and strain the bourbon with a cheesecloth.

To make it an Old-Fashioned:

2 oz bacon infused Bourbon

.25 oz real maple syrup

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled rocks glass filled with one large cube. Garnish with an orange twist.

Bee’s Knees

Adapted from here

2 oz Gin

.75 oz lemon juice

.75 oz honey syrup

For the honey syrup mix one part honey with one part hot water. Measure out ingredients into a shaker, shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.

Pickle Fries:

Made it exactly like here.