After closing during the pandemic, Borracho’s bar has found new life in the original Las Vegas. The velvety White Buffalo, a Manhattan riff made with bourbon fat-washed with tallow from owner Sara Mathews’s family cattle ranch, symbolizes hope and prosperity. Created for the bar’s return, it was “a little prayer for Borracho’s to succeed,” Mathews says. One year later, “it has.”
THE WHITE BUFFALO
- 2 ounces Beef-Tallow-Washed Bourbon
- 1 ounce Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth
- 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- Small pinch smoked Maldon sea salt
- Bay leaf, for garnish
BEEF-TALLOW-WASHED BOURBON
- 750 ml Buffalo Trace bourbon
- 6 tablespoons rendered beef tallow
Makes 1 cocktail
THE WHITE BUFFALO
Chill a martini glass. Stir bourbon, vermouth, bitters, and salt with ice until well chilled. Strain into glass. Carefully ignite the tip of the bay leaf, blow out the flame, and garnish with the smoldering leaf.
BEEF-TALLOW-WASHED BOURBON
Melt tallow over low heat and combine with bourbon in a jar. Shake well and let stand at room temperature 2–4 hours. Freeze overnight, then remove the solidified fat and strain bourbon through a coffee filter. Refrigerate.