The Art of Smoking Cocktails: Infusing Flavor with Wood Chips

Part of what makes a barbeque such a unique dining experience is the effect that smoking has on meats and vegetables. Home mixologists can experiment further by bringing smoking into their cocktail mixing. Cocktail smoking offers a richer tasting experience and a visually stunning display. Joe Canal’s in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, offers a large selection of spirits, wines, and beer, and here discusses why and how to make a smoking cocktail.

What Is Cocktail Smoking?

Also referred to as cold smoking or smoke rinsing, cocktail smoking occurs when you expose part or all of the cocktail to smoke. There are various ways to introduce smoke to a cocktail. Some may burn wood chips or another aromatic under the glass, like when grilling meat. Others might use cocktail smoking kits, which are becoming increasingly more accessible for at-home mixing. Still, others might follow an even more DIY approach with a wood plank and handheld torch.

Regardless of how you smoke a cocktail, you’re sure to have a unique tasting (and visual) experience. The following are just some reasons to consider cocktail smoking:

• Enhances the flavor by adding multiple layers and bringing out subtle tones
• Provides balance and consistency by helping blend the other ingredients in the drink better
• Offers an aesthetically pleasing experience with the smoke rising from and swirling around the glass, with a strong scent traveling to the nose before taking a sip
• Engages a mixologist’s creativity to discover one-of-a-kind pairings of spirits, wood chips, and other ingredients

Steps for Making Smoking Cocktails

To begin with cocktail smoking, you need to make sure you have all the right tools. While you can purchase a special cocktail smoke infuser, there are also utensils you might already have to get started. Your at-home cocktail smoking kit should include a smoking element (i.e. wood chips) and a kitchen torch, such as a crème brulee torch, for quickly lighting wood chips. You may also consider a smoking cloche/box, which is a glass dome that enhances the drink’s presentation.

There are many smoke flavors, and as you experiment more with cocktail smoking, you’ll find which you like best and the different effects of each. Beginners may wish to start with applewood smoke flavor, as it only adds a simple layer of depth to a cocktail. Applewood pairs well with whiskey. Bourbon and rum are also ideal for pairing with smoke flavors, as they already have charred flavors and can promote balance. Hickory and Mesquite are heavier smoke flavors, so you may wish to go lighter when adding these elements to avoid overpowering the drink.

In addition to the wood chips and spirits, you want to think about other ingredients like syrups and juices, which create balance. In some cases, you might exchange wood chips for dried spices, coffee beans, or another ingredient you can smoke. Your options are limited only by your creativity — it’s what makes mixology such an exciting activity!

How to Prepare the Glass

Once you’ve chosen all the ingredients for your cocktail, you can prepare the glass. For safety, make sure you’re working on a fire-safe surface. After you’ve mixed the cocktail, wet the glass. Place the wood chips or other smoking element on the fire-safe surface and light them with the kitchen torch. Turn the glass upside down and place it over the burning wood chips. You may also use a smoking cloche or box. Leave the glass for a few minutes. Then, flip it over and pour in the cocktail. That’s it — now you can enjoy the smoking cocktail.

Tips for Cocktail Smoking

As with all mixing experiments, you might not get it right on the first try. It will likely take some time, and know there are no right or wrong answers — your tastebuds will be the judge. That said, there are some tips for having a better experience with cocktail smoking.

For one, you don’t want to be too hasty in removing the glass from the smoke. The longer you smoke the drink, the richer the flavor and the more balanced the blend. At the same time, over-smoking will leave an otherwise balanced cocktail with a strong bitter taste. This is especially true if using spirits. So, experimenting will involve determining the right amount of time to smoke the glass.

You also want to burn wood chips dry; there’s a misconception that wetting wood chips will make them smoke more. However, wetting wood chips will prevent them from burning as well. In the same way, avoid storing wood chips in moist areas where they might get wet.

Find the Spirits You Need for Cocktail Smoking at Joe Canal’s

Expand your palate with the unique flavor profiles of cocktail smoking. Find the ingredients you need to get started with the large selection of spirits at Joe Canal’s, as well as various wines and beer. Located in Lawrenceville, we serve customers throughout New Jersey. Contact us today with questions about our inventory.