How to easily make smoked cocktails at home
Smoking a cocktail is an excellent technique. Not only can you infuse the flavour of smoke into a cocktail but you can infuse the aroma. Above all, it’s fun and super eye-catching seeing a cocktail smoked.
At first glance, you might think smoking a cocktail is very one dimential. But not all smoke is the same smoke. Other then the difference in techniues of how you choose to smoke a cocktail you also have the choice of what you use to smoke.
Rosemary smoke will taste and smell different then hickory smoke, and hickory smoke is awhole lot different then the smoky flavour of a peaty scotch like Laphroig.
So lets jump into the different ways to get your cocktail smoking. Or as Jim Carrey would say, S-S-SMOKIN’
Infusing A Cocktail With Smoke
Like I said, different techniques. You can smoke a glass you intend to serve a cocktail in, the garnish or infuse the cocktail itself. Infusing a cocktail with smoke is a great way to get a smoky flavour to your drink and add another layer of complexity.
The good news is that there are actually a number of ways to smoke a cocktail. Ranging from the very easy to the more complex. Each adds a different sense of smoke and level of smokiness.
#1 Smoking gun
The first way and arguably the most fun is to using a smoking gun
The beauty of this technique is that once you have a smoking gun. You can use it to infuse your cocktail in different ways. From infusing the actual cocktail itself so you get the taste of smoke, to aromatizing so you get the smell of smoke.
First things first you will need a smoking gun, which you can pick up fairly cheap on Amazon. Here’s my recommendation for a high quality smoking gun I have personally used many times if you live in the UK and here’s my recommendation for all you USA peeps. Both are high quality smoking guns which will fulfil all your cocktail smoking needs.
Once you have your smoking gun you will need to consider what it is you’re going to smoke. You could use dried herbs, teas or wood. When it comes to wood, Hickory is robust with a strong bacon-like flavour, and is the most popular smoking wood. Applewood is a sweet tasting smoke, and oak is a heavy smoky flavour.
The best way to infuse your cocktail with smoke is to first make your cocktail, then strain it into a decanter or bottle. Fill the decanter with your smoke of choice using your smoking gun. Once the decanter is full with smoke, cover the top. swirl the cocktail around in the decanter a few times and leave for a minute or two to allow it to infuse. Then pour your cocktail into a glass.
How to infuse smoke into a cocktail with a smoking gun
Smoke gun recommendations for cocktails
Best for USA
Best for UK
Using a smoking gun for cocktail aroma
For this you will need a bell jar or something similar that will cover the whole drink. Or if you’re like me and accidentally dropped and smashed your bell jar. a big jar that will work just as well but not look as good.
Make your cocktail as you normally would and cover with a bell jar. Lift the jar slightly so you can fit the tube from your smoking gun into it. Use the smoking gun to fill the jar with smoke, then remove the tube and cover completely.
This will not only infuse the drink but surround the whole cocktail, garnish and glass with the aroma of smoke. For this the taste of smoke is more of a placebo. We don’t actually add any smoke flavour into the cocktail itself, instead it all works on the aroma of smoke.
The best part of this technique is the presentation. Basically. It looks really cool when you lift the jar and reveal the cocktail surrounded by a cloud of smoke which then fades to reveal a cocktail beneath the smoky cloud.
Once you’ve got your smoking gun try using it on this Smoked gin old fashioned recipe
#2 Burnt smoke
For this technique you don't need a smoking gun. You will however need a blowtorch. This will be relatively cheaper then a smoking gun but wont have the versatility of a smoking gun.
This is a technique that works best with smoking garnishes. For this, you want to opt for a dried garnish. Herbs such as rosemary work best as the smoking smell is a lot more pleasant than that of say, lavender.
For this. Use your blowtorch (recommendations below) to scorch your garnish and release the smell of smoke.
Although this technique is more suited for garnishes. You can still use it a number of ways.
Best for USA
Best for UK
Smoke the cocktail
To smoke the cocktail add your burnt dried ingredients to your shaker along with your cocktail and shake to infuse that smoked flavour.
Smoke the glass.
A subtle way of adding an aroma and slight flavour of smoke would be to only smoke your glass.
For this, on a non-flammable surface, use your blowtorch to burn some dried herbs or wood. As soon as you get smoke place your glass over the top so it fills the glass with smoke.
Whilst your glass is getting smoky, make your cocktail. Once you strain your cocktail into the smoke stained glass it the finished drink will pick up those smoky aromas and flavours.
You can also use this glass smoking technique with your smoking gun by only filling your glass with smoke and trapping it to infuse.
#3 adding the essence of smoke as an ingredient
For this, you won't be adding physical smoke to your cocktail. Instead, you will be adding the flavour of smoke in the form of a liquid ingredient or essence.
There's many ways to do this but the two most popular is liquid smoke and smoke essence. Simply add a few drops into your cocktail and you have instant smoke flavour, no smoke required.
Best USA
Best UK
#3 Smoky spirits
A personal favourite is to add the character of smoke into your cocktail by using a “smoky” spirit. Spirits such as a peaty whisky or mezcal which naturally have a smoky character to them. With some this is very apparent. Take Laphroig for example.
Laphroig is known for its intense smoky flavour. Its the easiest Scotch to recognize from smell alone as the smoky flavour is that apparent throughout this whisky.
Now, just because you are opting for a smoky spirit, does not mean it has to be the main ingredient. These smoky spirits like Laphroig will turn your cocktail instantly smoky with as little as 5ml.
Glass washing
Glass washing is a technique where you fill a glass with a small amount of liquid, swill it around a few times then dump it out. This only works with intense spirits such as, well, you guessed it. Laphroig.
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