CARPINTERIA, Calif. – Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurants are adding a Jim Beam Bourbon Burger, featuring a charbroiled beef patty topped with crispy onions, bacon, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato and a tangy sauce flavored with Jim Beam bourbon.

“Higher-end restaurants have long served menu items flavored with branded spirits but, until now, they had yet to find their way onto fast-food menus, and we considered it our mission to change that,” said Brad Haley, chief marketing officer for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. “The sweet, smoky flavors of Jim Beam bourbon go really well with the great taste of a charbroiled burger, and the folks at Jim Beam were just as excited about the pairing as we were. While there is no residual alcohol in the sauce, that wonderful bourbon taste remains and is enhanced by the smoky flavors of bacon, the spice of pepper jack cheese, the salty-crunch of crispy onion straws, and fresh lettuce and tomato.”

The burger is available nationwide beginning this week for a suggested price of $3.59 or as a combo meal with fries and a drink for $6.09 at Carl’s Jr. and $5.59 at Hardee’s.