How to Make Browned Butter Infused Bourbon

Browned butter infused bourbon is regular bourbon steeped with nutty, toasty browned butter, then chilled and strained so the flavor stays and the fat doesn't. It takes two ingredients and about 10 minutes of hands-on time. If you want your old fashioneds and fall cocktails to taste like caramel, toffee, and warm butter cookies, this is the one bar cart project worth doing this season.

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AT A GLANCE
Browned butter infused bourbon is made by fat-washing bourbon with browned butter: you mix melted browned butter into bourbon, let it infuse, freeze it until the butter hardens, then strain out the fat. The result is a bourbon that's smoother and richer, with nutty, toffee-like flavor and a silky texture, but no greasy feel. This recipe is for home bartenders and hosts who want an easy way to upgrade fall and holiday cocktails, especially an Old Fashioned. It includes the exact butter-to-bourbon ratio, a no-fail straining method, the best bourbons to use, storage tips, and cocktails to make with it.

Why You'll Love This Browned Butter Infused Bourbon

It makes every bourbon cocktail taste fancier. Browned butter adds a toasty, caramel flavor and a silky texture that makes even an affordable bottle drink like something from a high-end cocktail bar.

It's only two ingredients. Butter and bourbon. That's it. Most of the time is hands-off while the bourbon infuses and chills.

It's a great make-ahead for the holidays. One batch makes enough for about 7 Old Fashioneds, and it keeps in the fridge for weeks. Pour it into a pretty bottle, and it also makes a really good host gift.

Browned Butter Bourbon Ingredients

Butter. Use unsalted butter so you can control the flavor. Salt gets concentrated in the bourbon and can make the finish taste a little off. A European-style butter like Kerrygold or Plugrá has a higher fat content and more milk solids, which means more browned bits and more flavor. Regular unsalted butter still works great.

Bourbon. Choose a bourbon you already like drinking, somewhere in the 90 to 100 proof range. Higher proof pulls more flavor out of the butter. You don't need anything top shelf. Buffalo Trace and Wild Turkey 101 are both great here. For an extra-soft, smooth result, try a wheated bourbon like Maker's Mark. Its sweet, bready notes taste amazing with browned butter.

How to Make Browned Butter Infused Bourbon

This technique is called fat-washing. It sounds technical, but it's really just mixing, waiting, and straining.

1. Brown the butter. Melt 1 stick (8 tablespoons) of unsalted butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Keep swirling the pan. The butter will foam, then the foam will settle, and little brown bits will form on the bottom. When it smells nutty and turns a deep golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, take it off the heat.
2. Let it cool for 5 minutes. You want the butter warm and liquid, but not sizzling hot.
3. Combine. Pour 2 cups of bourbon into a large glass jar or container with a lid. Pour in the browned butter, brown bits and all, and stir or shake to combine.
4. Infuse. Cover and let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours. Shake it every 30 minutes or so.
5. Freeze. Move the jar to the freezer for at least 4 hours, or overnight. The butter will rise to the top and freeze into a solid layer. The bourbon won't freeze.
6. Remove the butter. Poke a hole in the butter layer with a spoon or knife and lift it off in pieces. Save it for baking (more on that in the FAQs).
7. Strain. Pour the bourbon through a fine mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter or a few layers of cheesecloth into a clean bottle. If it still looks cloudy, strain it a second time.

You'll end up with about 1 ¾ cups of browned butter bourbon. A little gets lost to the butter, and that's normal.

Why I do it this way: use a light-colored pan to brown the butter so you can actually see the color change. Butter goes from browned to burnt fast, and in a dark pan it's hard to tell. I also pour in all the brown bits, because that's where most of the nutty flavor lives. The coffee filter catches every last one when you strain.

How to Store Browned Butter Bourbon

Store your browned butter bourbon in a sealed bottle in the fridge, and use it within about a month for the best flavor.

The fat is strained out, but tiny traces may still remain. The fridge keeps it tasting fresh. If you notice a little cloudiness or a thin layer forming after a few days, that's just leftover fat. Strain it once more through a coffee filter, and it's good to go.

Browned Butter Bourbon Variations

Use rye whiskey. Rye is spicier and a little drier than bourbon. Browned butter softens that spice, and it's especially good in a Manhattan.

Make a full bottle. To infuse a full 750 ml bottle of bourbon, brown 1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) of butter and follow the same steps.

Add warm spices. Drop 1 cinnamon stick or half a split vanilla bean into the jar during the 2-hour infusion. Strain it out with the butter.

Make it maple. Stir 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup into the browned butter before adding the bourbon. It leans even more into the pancake breakfast flavor.

Add toasted pecans. Toast ½ cup of chopped pecans in the butter while it browns, then add everything to the bourbon. Pecans and browned butter are a Thanksgiving dream together.

Try browned butter and sage. Add 4 or 5 fresh sage leaves to the butter as it browns. It turns savory and herby, and it's perfect for a Thanksgiving cocktail.

Skip ghee. Ghee is butter with the milk solids already removed, and those milk solids are what brown and create all the flavor. Stick with regular butter.

Browned Butter Infused Bourbon FAQs

What is fat-washed bourbon?

Fat-washed bourbon is bourbon infused with a fat, like butter or bacon grease, then chilled and strained so only the flavor stays. The fat adds richness and a silkier texture, and the freezing step lets you lift it right out.

What does browned butter bourbon taste like?

Browned butter bourbon tastes nutty, toasty, and a little like caramel or toffee. It feels smoother and softer on the finish than the original bourbon. It doesn't taste greasy because the fat is strained out.

Does brown butter bourbon need to be refrigerated?

Yes, store brown butter bourbon in the fridge. Even after straining, tiny traces of butter can remain, and keeping it cold helps it stay fresh. Plan to use it within about a month.

Can you use salted butter to fat-wash bourbon?

You can, but unsalted butter is the better choice. Salt carries into the bourbon, and you can't take it back out. If salted butter is all you have, the drink will still be good, just a little more savory.

How long should you infuse bourbon with butter?

Infuse bourbon with browned butter for about 2 hours at room temperature, then freeze it for at least 4 hours. Two hours is plenty of time for the bourbon to pick up the flavor. Going much longer doesn't add much more.

How much butter do you need per cup of bourbon?

Use about 4 tablespoons (½ stick) of butter for every cup of bourbon. For this recipe, that means 1 stick of butter to 2 cups of bourbon.

What do you do with the leftover butter?

Don't toss it! The butter you lift off the top is now bourbon-soaked browned butter. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, use it within a week or so, and bake with it. It's amazing in cookies like my brown butter sugar cookies, spread on toast, or melted over sweet potatoes.

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Cocktails to Make with Browned Butter Infused Bourbon

Start with a Browned Butter Old Fashioned. Stir 2 ounces of browned butter bourbon, ¼ ounce of maple or demerara syrup, and 2 dashes of Angostura bitters with ice, strain it into a rocks glass over a big cube, and finish with an orange peel. It also works anywhere you'd use regular bourbon, like these:

• Chocolate Old Fashioned
• Spiced Pear and Bourbon Sparkler
• Bourbon Espresso Martini
• Bourbon Cranberry Cocktail