How to Make Smoked Cocktails and Why
Serving out a smoked cocktail, the beverage counterpart of joyful flambéed French delicacies like Bananas Foster or Crêpes Suzette, has a certain intrinsic drama. Even a lighting garnish on top of a tumbler sparks conversation right away.
Smoke, however, contributes flavor and scent in addition to drama. As with wine pairings at multicourse dinners, it requires expertise and consideration to combine the flavors of alcohol and smoke. For instance, scotch and thyme go nicely together, as do coffee beans and Irish whiskey, and cherrywood and bourbon. Top bartenders are known to experiment with various flavors of smoke to find the ideal balance, so patience is key.
Try conducting a straightforward smoke-rinse if you're new to this and want to cautiously enter the realm of smoked beverages. To make the smoke adhere to your glass, first cool it. With a blow torch or smoking pistol, light whatever you're smoking, then rapidly turn your glass upside down to contain the smoke.
When the smoke is gone, you can start pouring. To perform the pour in front of your guests, flip the glass.
Capture the smoke inside a container with an airtight top, then add the drink ingredients for a stronger smokiness. Once cold, pour into a glass. But for safety reasons, smoke outside. If you intend to make smoking cocktails frequently, whether they are smoke-rinsed or fully smoked and served on a plank, it might be advisable to spend money on a smoke infuser or smoked cocktail kit. You'll all of a sudden become renowned as the smokin' mixologist.
You'll get a taste of the variety of smoked cocktails from these preparations.
Tiki Bonfire
Want to feel transported to the islands? Try this smoked rum drink.
• 1 oz Aged Rum
• 1 oz Jamaica Style Rum
• ½ oz Swedish Punsch
• ¼ oz Grenadine
• 2 Dashes Tiki Bitters
Place all ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice, whisk, and strain into a rocks glass over a large cube. Garnish as desired. Last but not least, smoulder applewood over the cocktail.
Smoke on the Water
If you’re looking for fresh and fruity, this sweet concoction does the trick.
• 1 oz Watermelon juice, freshly pressed
• 1/2 oz Mezcal
• 3/4 oz Cointreau
• 1/2 oz Hibiscus simple syrup
• 1/2 oz Lime juice, freshly squeezed
• Garnish: Flaming rosemary sprig
5 minutes upside-down in 100-proof alcohol with a fresh rosemary sprig In a shaker with ice, combine the mezcal, Cointreau, watermelon juice, hibiscus simple syrup, and lime juice. Shake vigorously until well-chilled. Double strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass. Put the prepared sprig upright in the rocks glass as a garnish, and light it right before serving. Light a match before drinking.
Smoked Espresso Martini
A hot spin on the after-dinner drink of the moment.
• 1 oz Vodka
• 1 oz Coffee liqueur
• 1 Standard shot of espresso
Add your additional liquid components once half of the ice in your cocktail shaker has been added. Fill the shaker with smoke using a smoking gun, but use caution.
Add the shaker lid next and shake violently for 30 seconds after adding your smoke. Into a martini glass, strain.
Smoked Old Fashioned
This classic, a favorite of Mad Men’s Don Draper, is a great excuse to invest in a smoke infuser—and it’s simple to make, with only a handful of ingredients.
• 2 oz Straight rye or Bourbon whiskey
• 1 Sugar cube
• 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
• Garnish: Twist of orange peel and cherry
In a small bowl, combine the orange peel and sugar cube. Wrap with plastic to protect. Fill the bowl with smoke by inserting the tube from the smoke infuser.
Wrap it in a recovery and leave it for a minute. If you prefer extra smoke, give it another shot. Put the sugar cube in a whiskey glass after that. Mix the bitters with a little water, then add the sugar and muddle until it dissolves. Pour in ice cubes and mix the drink with a spoon. Whiskey has now been added; stir. Add a cherry and an orange peel twist as a garnish. To fill the glass with smoke, cover it in plastic wrap and tuck the hose from the smoke infuser underneath. Allow to rest for a minute.
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