# smoked cocktails



## PolishDeli (Jun 7, 2021)

Anyone making smoked cocktails? 
Seems a bit hipster.








						Is cocktail smoking worth it? Absolutely. Here's what you need to know | CNN Underscored
					

Cocktail smoking at home is easier than ever, with one-stop apparatuses of varying price ranges widely available. If you're not familiar with the concept of smoking cocktails, but enjoy grilling and learning about the home mixology, read on.




					www.cnn.com
				




Maybe im wrong, but I can't imagine good smokey flavors setteling onto an ice cold glass from an enclosed cloud of thick white smoke. 
Ever mistaken your beer for that bottle people have been dropping their cigarette into?


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## MCQSmoker (Jun 7, 2021)

I’ve tried it at a cocktail bar. Feels more style over substance to be honest. I’m happy enough with a standard cocktail or beer when smoking or eating!


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## BBQ Bird (Jun 7, 2021)

Had an old fashioned in a glass smoked with tobacco once.  It was delicious, but I could easily see messing it up and ruining the cocktail.


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## SmokingUPnorth (Jun 7, 2021)

A little smoked ice and whiskey is pretty good in the winter. First time I did it I used too strong of a wood and smoked the ice for too long. Almost ruined whiskey for me haha


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## SmokinVOLfan (Jun 7, 2021)

Does seem pretty hipsterish but I could see it being good every once in awhile if done correctly.


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## thirdeye (Jun 7, 2021)

I've tried the smoked ice trick, and it's okay.  Crown Royal has a mesquite flavor whiskey, but I don't care for it.


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## smokeymose (Jun 7, 2021)

I don't do hard liquor anymore so I don't think I'll be trying it. I doubt if the Absolut & Cranberry or the Vodka Martinis I used to like would have benefited
from smoke. Sounds like a push to sell gizmos.....


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## kilo charlie (Jun 7, 2021)

I've smoked water to make ice cube and with a little Elijah Craig Bourbon it's fantastic... I've also smoked vodka (cause it's cheap) but it was hardly worth my time.


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## mcokevin (Jun 7, 2021)

Islay Scotch is the original smoked cocktail.


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## flatbroke (Jun 7, 2021)

first drink or two is for taste, rest is for effect.  havent drank cigarette butts yet, but when drinks were in full effect i have drank my chew spit by mistake.


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## Cabo (Jun 8, 2021)

I smoke tomatoes that I use for bloody mary mix.


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## noboundaries (Jul 27, 2021)

mcokevin said:


> Islay Scotch is the original smoked cocktail.



I like a smokey whisky that isn't too sweet, which eliminates most bourbons, Canadians, and Irish whiskies. Islay Scotch whiskies are the smokiest and least sweet, but they are definitely an acquired taste. Not recommended for first time scotch drinkers. When I find one I like, I can literally sniff the complex aromas for a good ten minutes before taking the first neat sip. 

Found one recently that I love. A half finger in a glencairn or small snifter is all I need. So complex with a LOOOOOOOOOONNNNNGGG finish. 8 hours later, the empty glass still has that amazing aroma. 

The whisky? 

Scarabus.


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## NDB (Dec 9, 2021)

Help me out, folks. Just got a smoking gun and tried a smoked manhattan. I used a few slivers of fatwood and let the liquor smoke for about four minutes. It was completely undrinkable. Tasted like pure tar. What'd I do wrong and what should I do differently? Different wood? Less smoke time? Smoke the glass but not the liquor? I was pumped to try this, but it was so bad. Complete waste of 7oz of Buffalo Trace.


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## TNJAKE (Dec 9, 2021)

NDB said:


> Help me out, folks. Just got a smoking gun and tried a smoked manhattan. I used a few slivers of fatwood and let the liquor smoke for about four minutes. It was completely undrinkable. Tasted like pure tar. What'd I do wrong and what should I do differently? Different wood? Less smoke time? Smoke the glass but not the liquor? I was pumped to try this, but it was so bad. Complete waste of 7oz of Buffalo Trace.


Fatwood is toxic. Don't do that again!


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## uncle eddie (Dec 9, 2021)

PolishDeli said:


> Anyone making smoked cocktails?
> Seems a bit hipster.
> 
> 
> ...



My totally non-hipster, continuously hunting, son has one.  It is fun to use, especially if I get gifted a bottle of bourbon I am not particularly fond of.  Let's add some smoke...maybe it'll help it.  It takes a few minutes for the smoke flavor to get into the liquid.  I usually wait 3 to 5 minutes before I sample it.

I also view it more as a novelty...but it is fun to use when we have company.  It gets a workout.


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## clifish (Dec 9, 2021)

How does one smoke water to make cubes?  just put it in a pan and smoke for a period of time, then make ice?


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## kilo charlie (Dec 9, 2021)

clifish said:


> How does one smoke water to make cubes?  just put it in a pan and smoke for a period of time, then make ice?




The key to smoking water (or any other liquid) is breaking the surface tension of the water say every 30 minutes. This is a great process to do cold smoking ( pellets in a tube for example) I'd use hickory or anything lighter and let it go for 4 or 5 hours. Excess heat will obviously evaporate the liquid. 

Once you've smoked the water, make sure to strain out any ash etc.. but do not run it through a coffee filter which will actually reduce the smoke flavor. 

Pour it into a cheap plastic ice cube tray and let it freeze. Don't use your regular ice cube trays otherwise the significant other will be upset!


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## Torch&Tone (Dec 9, 2021)

Agree on the fatwood - pine wood has resins in it that make for a good firestarter but absolutely terrible for consuming!

Some people love smoked foods but not drinks, so it helps if you can enjoy a strong-flavored Scotch, mezcal, or at least a Bloody Mary. Maybe start simple with Manhattans or, for something less sweet, try a smoked Negroni? Starting out, smoking a batch of simple syrup may also be easier than smoking individual cocktails directly.

Also, smoke in a cocktail, like bitters, falernum, verjus, etc., is no magic bullet to instantly improve a basic drink, but, used correctly, it *can* contribute to an outstanding one. I've had skilled bartenders turn out a fantastic drink or two using the smoke gun (including a surprising take on pisco with raspberry & Lillet) but they - and the distillers of smoky liquors - train considerably to get there. I'd cut anyone a bit of slack the first few tries... and strongly suggest practicing first with less-than-great booze!


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## NDB (Dec 9, 2021)

Torch&Tone said:


> Agree on the fatwood - pine wood has resins in it that make for a good firestarter but absolutely terrible for consuming!
> 
> Some people love smoked foods but not drinks, so it helps if you can enjoy a strong-flavored Scotch, mezcal, or at least a Bloody Mary. Maybe start simple with Manhattans or, for something less sweet, try a smoked Negroni? Starting out, smoking a batch of simple syrup may also be easier than smoking individual cocktails directly.
> 
> Also, smoke in a cocktail, like bitters, falernum, verjus, etc., is no magic bullet to instantly improve a basic drink, but, used correctly, it *can* contribute to an outstanding one. I've had skilled bartenders turn out a fantastic drink or two using the smoke gun (including a surprising take on pisco with raspberry & Lillet) but they - and the distillers of smoky liquors - train considerably to get there. I'd cut anyone a bit of slack the first few tries... and strongly suggest practicing first with less-than-great booze!


Thanks! I'll ditch the fatwood. Too much resin makes sense for why the taste was so sooty and tar-like. I like the idea of smoking the syrup. Will give that a whirl.


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## thirdeye (Dec 9, 2021)

Torch&Tone said:


> Some people love smoked foods but not drinks, so it helps if you can enjoy a strong-flavored Scotch, mezcal, or at least a Bloody Mary. Maybe start simple with Manhattans or, for something less sweet, try a smoked Negroni?



A bullshot is a good candidate for smoked ice or smoked whiskey. A Bullshot is basically a Bloody Mary that swaps out the tomato juice for beef broth, but you can add some signature ingredients of your own. 



uncle eddie said:


> My totally non-hipster, continuously hunting, son has one. It is fun to use, *especially if I get gifted a bottle of bourbon I am not particularly fond of.* Let's add some smoke...maybe it'll help it.









If you're ever gifted some of this swill..... nothing can save it. It burns like h#ll and has a distinct kerosene aftertaste.   When Steve Nally retired from Makers Mark, these guys hired him as the master distiller.   About 5 years into a 10 year aging process, someone decided to start marketing it.  Nally immediately quit and demanded that his name be removed from all advertising.


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## clifish (Dec 13, 2021)

kilo charlie said:


> The key to smoking water (or any other liquid) is breaking the surface tension of the water say every 30 minutes. This is a great process to do cold smoking ( pellets in a tube for example) I'd use hickory or anything lighter and let it go for 4 or 5 hours. Excess heat will obviously evaporate the liquid.
> 
> Once you've smoked the water, make sure to strain out any ash etc.. but do not run it through a coffee filter which will actually reduce the smoke flavor.
> 
> Pour it into a cheap plastic ice cube tray and let it freeze. Don't use your regular ice cube trays otherwise the significant other will be upset!


Ok,  my 2"  "golf ball" ice molds came in today.  I have plenty of Hickory dust,  Alder and pecan pellet's and Cherry pellet's  any recommendation for type and time to smoke the water for Whiskey?  I will boil the water after to try and get really clear ice .


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## Torch&Tone (Dec 14, 2021)

I think any of those should be fine but whenever I might be concerned about bitterness, I start with a sweeter wood, like cherry. Time is really hard to pin down, but I'd say try a taste after a couple of hours. For experiment's sake, remove some after one, three, and five hours to compare? If you're cold-smoking, good to go, but if you're hot-smoking, remember that water boils at around 212F (a simple reminder, because someone somewhere undoubtedly spent a bunch of wood and time, only to come back to... an empty tray).

For clear ice, don't waste time and energy boiling the water (even distilled water), as there will still be enough dissolved elements afterwards to disrupt crystal formation. Clear ice generally comes from (preferably slow) directional freezing, giving the dissolved impurities a chance to push out ahead of the ice crystals, rather than getting trapped between them. Camper English's Alcademics website is pretty good on explanation and reviewing both DIY and bought solutions, including how to better use those silicone molds.

I'm not sure, though, if there's overlap between dissolved, clarity-reducing impurities that we want to push out for clear ice, and dissolved, smoky-flavor "impurities" that we want to hold on to...


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## forktender (Dec 20, 2021)

clifish said:


> How does one smoke water to make cubes?  just put it in a pan and smoke for a period of time, then make ice?


I just add it to my favorite bong, after a few bowls you don't care if your drinks are smoked or not as long as you are.


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