Smoked cocktail

Technique

Smoking a cocktail means trapping wood or herb smoke over the drink, so it picks up a smoky scent before the first sip.

Also called: smoking a cocktail · cocktail smoker · smoking gun

Smoke under an upturned glass or cloche: 30 seconds to 1 minute
Swirl in a smoke-filled decanter: about 30 seconds
Best match in ATK testing: whiskey-based cocktails; out of place with gin and vodka
How a smoking gun works: a fan sends smoke from chips burning on a mesh screen out through a hose

What Smoked cocktail means

Smoked drinks show up on bar menus, such as a smoked old fashioned that arrives with a glass over it. The smoke comes last. A bartender burns wood or herbs beside the drink, then traps the smoke so the cocktail takes on the scent before you sip. Smoking is not the same as flaming, which sets the spirit itself alight.

Most beginners assume you need a smoking gun for this. You don't. A chunk of wood chips or a cedar plank lit under an upturned glass also traps smoke. The fire goes out on its own once it runs out of oxygen. A smoking gun just makes the job easier. Inside it, a small fan sends smoke from wood chips burning on a mesh screen out through a hose.

Oak, cherry or cedar wood and dried herbs such as rosemary and thyme are the common fuels. Each one leaves its own scent in the glass, so pick a fuel that suits the drink you are making. In America's Test Kitchen's tests, smoke suited whiskey-based cocktails best and felt out of place with gin and vodka.

How to smoke a cocktail

Chill the glass, light the fuel on a fireproof surface, and trap the smoke under a glass or in a decanter for under a minute.

1.Chill the glass or decanter first, because smoke clings best to a cold surface.
2.Light a piece of oak, cherry or cedar wood, or a few sprigs of dried herbs, on a fireproof surface.
3.Cover the fuel with an upturned glass or cloche for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the flame goes out on its own.
4.Fill the chilled decanter with smoke, pour in the cocktail, and swirl it for about 30 seconds.
5.Work on a fireproof surface, clear of napkins and loose sleeves, with water or an extinguisher close by.

Smoked cocktail compared

Flaming a drinkA flamed drink has the spirit or a peel burning above it. A smoked drink has wood or herbs burning beside it, with the smoke trapped over the glass.
Smoky spiritMezcal and peated Scotch are smoky because of how they are made. A smoked cocktail gets its smoke at the last step, from burning wood or herbs.

Related terms

Ingredients

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Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.