Brunch is always a highlight of any foodie’s weekend, and cocktails — classic a.m. drinks like mimosas and Bloody Marys — are a prime part of that late-morning meal.

But venture away from one of those traditional brunch cocktails in favor of one like the Texas Breakfast, which breaks out the whiskey to deliver a good morning indeed. The drink comes topped with candied bacon, making it practically as necessary as the full-course feast served alongside it.

Texas Breakfast

1 oz. Yellow Rose Rye (or comparable rye)

1/2 oz. brown sugar simple syrup

1/2 oz. maple syrup

Mezcal to wash

1 to 2 oz. sparkling apple cider

Garnish 1 cinnamon stick and 1 strip candied bacon (see below)

Pour a very small amount of mezcal in a rocks glass, swirl until the interior is coated and discard the mezcal.

Add ice, Yellow Rose Rye, brown sugar simple syrup and maple syrup in a shaker tin with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into mezcal-washed glass.

Top with sparkling apple cider. Garnish with cinnamon stick and candied bacon. Serve with short straw.

Candied Bacon

4 strips Applewood smoked bacon

8 oz. water

16 oz. sugar

Bring water to a boil in a small pot and add sugar. Stir until dissolved and remove from heat.

On a small sheet pan, place 4 strips of Applewood smoked bacon in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes at 350˚F. The bacon should be slightly charred. Adjust time and temperature as needed.

Remove bacon, dry with paper towel, and stick in the freezer for 5 minutes. By this time, the water and sugar mixture (simple syrup) should be thickened. Dip the bacon in until covered and repeat.

— Sean Downey, director of food and beverage at Lone Star Court

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Savannah's Talmadge Bridge sits just downriver from the Georgia Ports Authority cargo ship terminals. The span was recently listed in a NTSB report among those that are at risk for vessel strike following the March 2024 collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge. (Miguel Martinez / AJC)

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