I’ve recently been trying to make more unique fat washes for cocktails, and this duck hunt cocktail is the result of one of my more experimental developments. For this recipe I decided to make a duck fat washed bourbon – and fortunately the end result came out deliciously.

Making a duck fat washed bourbon is no different than fat washing any other spirit. The only difficulty some people may have is acquiring the necessary duck fat. Fortunately for me I always save my rendered fat, and had plenty left over after making my duck with blackcurrants.
Fat washing is a fairly simple technique that just involves mixing the alcohol with a liquid fat, and then freezing the mix overnight. This causes the fat to float to the top and harden, making for easy removal when you strain it out.
How To Make Duck Fat Washed Bourbon

Using a kitchen scale, measure out 250 grams of bourbon and 25 grams of duck fat. Place on low heat while whisking until the fat is completely melted, then pour into a jar and place in the fridge.

After about 8 hours, or more conveniently the next day, you’ll notice the fat has solidified at the top. Now you can just poke two holes in the fat and pour out the liquid duck fat washed bourbon through a strainer and into a bottle for storage.
How To Make The Duck Hunt Cocktail

One of the reasons I wanted to create this drink is because I thought that duck fat washed bourbon would go great with Galliano. I’ve been trying to think up more ways to use Galliano other than the classic Harvey Wallbanger or a Yellowbird, so this was a good choice. Plus I felt the herbal and vanilla notes would complement well in the rest of the cocktail.
Ingredients
- 50 ml Duck Fat Washed Bourbon – you’ll have to make this yourself, but my instructional guide is fairly straightforward.
- 22.5 ml Galliano – aka Galliano l’Autentico. It usually comes in an annoyingly tall bottle and doesn’t have many uses. But it is something every good bar has stocked.
- 25 ml Peach Syrup – you can make your own. I just use the syrup that canned peaches are packed in as it is more convenient.
- 7.5 ml Lemon Juice – freshly squeezed
- 3 dashes Orange Bitters
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
- Leek Leaf Garnish – to be honest this was mostly inspired by the Pokemon Farfetch’d which is just a duck holding a leek (based on the Japanese dish Kamo Negi), however I do think the leek aroma as a garnish complements the duck fat washed bourbon and if I decide to advance this dish even further I might make it into a leek air.
Add some ice to a cocktail shaker, followed by all the ingredients. Give a good 10-15 second hard shake, then strain into an ice filled double rocks glass. Garnish with the leek leaves and serve.


Duck Hunt Cocktail
Equipment
- 1 Cocktail Shaker Set
Ingredients
- 50 ml Duck Fat Washed Bourbon you will have to make this yourself, so I suggest planning it the day before
- 22.5 ml Galliano
- 25 ml Peach Syrup
- 7.5 ml Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
- 3 dashes Orange Bitters
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
- Leek Leaf for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Add ice to a cocktail shaker followed by the rest of the ingredients. Shake hard for 10-15 seconds then strain into an ice filled double rocks glass. Garnish with the leek leaf and serve.
