Hot dog infused whiskey cocktails… yay or nay?

Summer and hot dogs go together like lamb and tuna fish… and 18-year-old references. This year Jim Beam is getting in on the classic combo with a hot dog infused whiskey cocktail.

No need to reread that sentence; you saw that correctly. Hot dog infused whiskey. Infusions have been slowly gaining popularity over the last five years, and I’m assuming Instagram is to blame. Initially it was just packing a bottle with spices around the holidays, but now people (like me) are making fat-washed Sazeracs and brands like Jim Beam is sinking meat sticks in their delicious bourbon.

The folks at Beam have teamed up with Chicago’s classic meat maker, Vienna Beef, to create the Chicago Style Hot Dog Bourbon Cocktail. For those who don’t know about Chicago’s hot dog scene, it’s as funny as it is delicious.

The Chicago Style Hot Dog is an all-beef dog on a steamed poppy seed bun with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, neon green relish, a dill pickle spear, two tomato wedges, pickled sport peppers, and celery salt… in that order.

Adding ketchup to a hot dog in Chicago will get you beheaded, but I’ve always found that culinary superiority to be a comical coming for people who demand their dog be topped with sweet relish dyed with blue food coloring.

For all its rigidity though, The Chicago Style Hot Dog is a masterpiece. And Jim Beam wants in on that masterpiece with their hot dog infused whiskey. They aren’t the first to see the synergies either. Bartender extraordinaire Adam Seger created an even more elaborate version using a tea and coffee machine earlier this year, but Beam’s version is far more DIY. It takes a couple days of infusion, so be sure to plan accordingly.

At this time, the Boozist team has yet to be bold enough to create hot dog infused whiskey and the whiskey sour in which it’s used. If we have a few too many glasses of Jim Beam Single Barrel this weekend though you never know what could happen.

Chicago-Style Hot Dog Bourbon Cocktail

• 2 parts of Chicago Style Hot Dog infused Jim Beam*
• .75 parts fresh lemon juice
• .75 parts simple syrup

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker, fill with ice, and shake for 10 seconds. Strain into ice-filled Old Fashioned glass rimmed with celery salt. Garnish with sport pepper, hot dog, and tomato.

*To make Chicago Style Hot Dog infused Jim Beam

• 750ml bottle of Jim Beam White
• 2 Vienna Beef Hot Dogs (sliced in long quarters)
• 8 small sport peppers
• 1 tbsp relish
• 1 tsp celery salt

Combine all ingredients into a large jar. Let the infusion sit in the refrigerator for 4-5 days then strain.