A Mitch Morgan is a cocktail

Cocktail

A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...

 that consists of a shot of bourbon whiskey

Bourbon whiskey

Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...

 served with a piece of fried bacon

Bacon

Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...

 as a cocktail garnish

Cocktail garnish

Cocktail garnishes are decorative ornaments that add character or style to a mixed drink, most notably to cocktails.A large variety of cocktail garnishes are used. Many rum-based cocktails, especially those with fruit flavors, tend to be decorated with tropical-themed garnishes or slices of fruit....

.
A vegetarian variation on the theme is called a "Courtney Morgan" and is instead garnished with a vinaigrette doused broccoli crown.
The Mitch Morgan is a popular beverage at the Fat Alley Barbecue in Telluride

Telluride, Colorado

The town of Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The town is a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains...

, Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

, where the drink originated. The Mitch Morgan is named after its creator - Mitch Morgan. The drink served as the inspiration for J&D's Down Home Enterprises

J&D's Down Home Enterprises

J&D's Down Home Enterprises, also known as J&D's Foods, is an American company based in Seattle, Washington, that produces bacon-related products such as Bacon Salt and Baconnaise. The company was founded in 2007 by Justin Esch and Dave Lefkow who used a $5,000 prize winning from America's...

 popular product Bacon Salt.

Outside Telluride

On October 28, 2008 Mitch Morgan shots were served at a charity fund-raising event at Heavens night club in Seattle, Washington hosted by J&D's Foods. The event was promoted as The World's First Charity No Holds Barred Battle To The Death Mayonnaise Wrestling Match and promoted the launch of J&D's new products Baconnaise

Baconnaise

Baconnaise is a kosher mayonnaise-based product that was especially made to taste like bacon. It was created by Justin Esch and Dave Lefkow, founders of J&D's Foods, in November 2008 and sold 40,000 jars within six months. It was test-marketed in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in order to determine the...

 and Bacon Lip Balm, the money raised benefited the family of a deceased co-worker. The Mitch Morgan's consisted of Maker's Mark

Maker's Mark

Maker’s Mark is a small batch bourbon whiskey that is distilled in Loretto, Kentucky by Beam Inc.. It is sold in distinctively squarish bottles, which are sealed with red wax. The distillery offers tours, and is part of the American Whiskey Trail and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.- History...

 bourbon and bacon from the "Bacon is Meat Candy Bacon Club." The fund-raiser sold over 1,000 Mitch Morgans, with customers requesting additional slices of the "gourmet bacon" to complement their drink.

Mitch Morgan shots were also served at J&D's Foods 2009 charity product launch party The Bacathlon. Hosted on November 19, 2009 The Bacathlon was promoted as The World's First Bacon-Themed Multi-Sport Athletic and Endurance Event that featured an attempt to set the World Record for Bacon Eating. The event promoted the launch of J&D's new products BaconPOP, Bacon Ranch and Mmmvelopes, the money raised benefited Ashley's Team.

Varieties on the theme

The Mitch Morgan is not the only combination of liquor and bacon. Riding the wave of recent bacon mania

Bacon mania

Bacon mania refers to passionate bacon enthusiasm in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Especially fervent in the United States, the enthusiasm has been described as forming a "Bacon Nation"...

, Colum Egan, the master distiller for Bushmills

Bushmills

Bushmills is a village on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Bushmills had 1,319 inhabitants in the 2001 Census. It is located 95 km from Belfast, 10 km from Ballycastle and 15 km from Coleraine...

, issued a challenge to bartenders in New York City, for Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick , the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of :Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion , the Eastern...

 in 2008, to concoct drinks based on the traditional Irish breakfast

Full breakfast

A full breakfast is a meal that consists of several courses, traditionally a starter , a main course, tea with milk, toast and marmalade or other preserves. Many variations are possible....

, which of course includes bacon. Two drinks were singled out by the New York Times: Jim Meehan of PDT made a drink which consisted of bacon-infused Bushmills combined with maple syrup, orange and lemon juice, and a whole egg; Eben Freeman of Tailor employed bacon-infused Bushmills, served with roasted tomato gelée squares, a poached quail egg yolk

Egg yolk

An egg yolk is a part of an egg which feeds the developing embryo. The egg yolk is suspended in the egg white by one or two spiral bands of tissue called the chalazae...

, Irish breakfast-tea foam, and crispy black-pudding bits.

Inspiration for bacon salt

In October 2007 Justin Esch (the co-founder of J&D's Down Home Enterprises) and his older brother Christopher Esch were talking about their fondness of Mitch Morgan shots with friends at the Jewish wedding of a childhood friend in New York, some of whom maintained a Kosher diet. The Esch brothers discussed the universal appeal of bacon and determined the world needed a bacon flavored seasoning salt that could be capture the deliciousness of bacon without the dietary issues, resulting in the development of Bacon Salt.