This Is How Fat-Washing Happened
“For the Record” traces the milestones of modern cocktail culture. This round, how the Benton’s Old Fashioned launched a viral technique.
- story: Robert Simonson
- photo: Lizzie Munro
You Will Instagram This: The Existing Conditions Vending Machines
Even if you haven’t stepped inside the high-concept cocktail bar, you’re probably familiar with its unlikely calling card.
- story: Chloe Frechette
- photos: Instagram
Bar Review: The New Home of the High-Concept Cocktail
One of the bar world’s most anticipated openings eschews the shock-and-awe of molecular mixology—until you pull back the curtain.
- story: Robert Simonson
- photos: Lizzie Munro
Dave Arnold and Don Lee Haven’t Run Out of Tricks
Two of the cocktail world’s most progressive thinkers have joined forces to open New York’s most anticipated bar in years.
- story: Robert Simonson
- photos: Eric Medsker
The Next Generation of Fat-Washed Cocktails
In 2007, PDT’s Benton’s Old Fashioned put fat-washing on the cocktail map; a decade later, it’s gone way beyond bacon.
- story: Kara Newman
- photos: Lizzie Munro
What’s in a Dash, Anyway?
Seven years ago, bartender Don Lee set out to quantify one of the cocktail's immeasurable components, the dash—leading to his design for a standardized dasher top. Lizzie Munro on what…
- story: Lizzie Munro
- photo: Lizzie Munro
Don Lee | Bartender, Puppet Maker and Professional Skeptic
Within the insular boundaries of the cocktail world, Don Lee is a legend. As a catch-all "Director of Product Development and Education"—per his business card—he can often be found at home perfecting…
- story: Lizzie Munro
- photo: Doron Gild
Behind the World’s Biggest, Fastest Bar Team
Behind the scenes at the country's largest annual drinks festival, an army of 70 bartenders is charged with batching 182,000 cocktails and pouring 16,000 spirits over the course of four…
- story: Leslie Pariseau
- photos: Gabi Porter
The Cocktail World’s Man Behind the Curtain
From sewing his own Muppets to infusing mezcal with marijuana to inventing "fat-washing," Don Lee's intellect and curiosity have become legendary. Leslie Pariseau on the cocktail world's one true renaissance…
- story: Leslie Pariseau
- photo: Doron Gild
Benton’s Old Fashioned
PDT's Benton’s Old Fashioned is the drink that introduced the concept of “fat-washing” spirits—a technique of flavoring liquor with cooking fats—to the cocktail world.
- story: Leslie Pariseau
- photo: Nick Brown
