You may have come across a few enthusiasts who are crazy about smokey cocktails. Afterall, smoked drinks have that unique depth and richness, for which if you develop the taste, you won’t be able to go back to ordinary cocktails.
Smoked cocktails can elevate any drinking session into a refined sensory experience. Your favorite cocktail combined with the choicest aroma of smoke can be the perfect blend of warmth, comfort, and joy.
So, if you are an aficionado of smoked drinks or a beginner who wants to explore this unique and rich world of smoked cocktails, this blog is for you.
In this blog, we will explore how to make smoked cocktails at home along with the best practices.
Let’s get going!
What are smoked cocktails anyway?
For beginners, smoked or smokey drinks are usually alcoholic drinks that are infused with select aromatic smoke. This is achieved by special smoker kits that allow you to make any smoked cocktail with desired ingredients, custom aromatic smokes, and controlled intensity for the richness of flavors.
Creating the perfect smoked drinks can be considered an art in itself. Not only is the process very enjoyable to watch, the aroma and the newly defined richness of your favorite whiskey or cocktail is a true treat for the senses.
What to burn for your smoked drinks?
This is where the creativity and art of making smoked cocktails really come to life. There are numerous signature ingredients you can burn to get any craft aromatic smoke. Yes, we are talking about wood chips/shavings, nuts, spices, teas, herbs like thyme, lavender, rosemary, and even sun-dried fruits like oranges, lime, and apples.
If you are looking for subtle flavors, for say, your rare whiskey, then wood chips come in as the signature preference. We are talking about some of the beloved wood chip options like Hickory, Cherry, Maple, and Oak. You will get these burning chips with professional smoker kits and can craft smoked whiskey and cocktails with ease.
When to use wood chips for smoked cocktails?
Every burning wood chip gives out different signature smoke with a distinct flavor. Not only this, but you will also notice different intensity of flavors when the smoke fuses with different drinks.
Let us start by exploring how you can craft signature smoked whiskey with different wood chips.
Oak Wood Chips
If you want to create smoked whiskey with subtle vanilla-like flavors and add richness to the taste, burning Oak chips is the way to go. Oak is often used in the aging process of many whiskeys and wines. You will notice subtle earthiness and a comforting aroma with this drink.
Cherry Wood Chips
The Cherry wood chips make for the perfect smoked whiskey for those who like fruity and sweet aromatic flavors. The Cherry wood chips bring out the sweet side of the whiskey and make the taste more appreciable as it gets more refined.
Hickory Wood Chips
Hickory is known to impart a bold, smokey flavor to drinks. This characteristic also makes it the perfect choice for curing meats. You can burn Hickory wood chips for strong flavors in your smoked whiskey.
Maple Wood Chips
If you want the right balance of sweetness and smokiness in your whiskey, burning Maple chips is the best choice. Maple woods form a rich aroma which imparts subtle honey-like sweetness with the right amount of smoky zing to any drink.
When to burn herbs and spices?
For tropical cocktails like Pina Colada, Mai Tai, Rum Punch, etc. earthy and natural aromas enhance the drinking experience. It is best to use whole spices like cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon for rum-based cocktails. You can use herbs like thyme, rosemary, and lavender for crafting smoked tropical cocktails depending upon the taste and individual preferences.
How to make smokey cocktails at home?
If the idea of smoked cocktails is intriguing to you, then you may wanna try crafting them at your home! Luckily, there are professional smoker kits available that can help you craft the perfect smokey cocktail.
First things first. You will need the right smoker kit like this one by Smokey Cocktail. This kit comes with a robust wooden cap, a handy butane torch, and four assorted wood chips for burning like Hickory, Maple, Cherry, and Oak.
To craft the smokey drink, simply follow the below steps.
- Pour the cocktail or whiskey into a glass of your choice.
- Place the wooden cap from the smoker kit above the glass. The wooden cap should be able to cover the mouth/opening of the glass.
- Place the burning material into the cap’s bucket. It can be wooden chips from the smoker kit or the spices or the herbs depending on your preference.
- Now use the butane torch and direct its flame towards the contents of the wooden cap bucket.
- You will notice the burning contents releasing thick and dense smoke into the glass.
- Keep in mind that the longer you let the smoke stay inside the glass, the richer and bolder the smokey flavor in the drink.
- Also, do not over-burn the chips or the contents so as to charr them. Repeat the smoking process with fresh chips or content after cleaning the cap bucket.
Viola! There you have it. Your own smoked cocktail crafted at home - all by yourself 🙂
So, which smoked cocktail will you make with the smoker kit? Let us know in the comments below.
Stay tuned for more!
