How the Cocktail Smoker Kit Became a Must-Have Home-Bar Accessory

By Whiskey Reviewer Staff

As a rule, for a trend to stay alive it must grow not just expansively, but intensively as well. In other words, build up layers or gain in complexity. When the modern cocktail boom started a decade and a half ago, the whiskey aspect of that began with a fixation on reviving pre-Prohibition classics. That sparked the Rye Craze of 2011-12, which caused a two year shortage for rye whiskey while also giving the nascent craft distilling sector a market to exploit.

Things moved on from there, with one trend coming atop another, building up the culture as a whole. Riffs calling for spirits substitutions on the classics, for example, which gave us the revival of genever and a lot of barrel aged gin, along with more and older tequila. Making cocktails and then barrel aging them on-site was another. But the thing that came along and caught the most attention, quite literally, was smoked cocktails.

The Show Stopper
A cocktail smoker is a tool that infuses a drink with aromatic smoke from wood chips, herbs, or spices just before serving, adding both flavor and a visual flourish. At bars, smoked cocktails are show stoppers. That explains why, despite being somewhat more labor intensive, they remain a fixture of any bar that has a respectable cocktail program. I still remember the first time I ever saw one, which was a rosemary-smoked negroni. The process of making them and the resulting smoke plume is as visually captivating as the short-lived smoke plume is aromatically pleasing.

That is perhaps why many whiskey fans now own a cocktail smoker kit. I know enthusiasts who have some kind of smoking device for their cocktails, even when they do not own such fundamentals as a shaker, strainer, or beaker.

To underline the point, compare the cocktail smoker to the other staple of the respectable bar cocktail program, the barrel aged cocktail. First, barrel aged cocktails must be planned in advance because barrel aged implies an aging period. How long that is depends on the size of the barrel in question, but weeks or months is common for the barrels used at bars. For a one-liter mini-barrel of the type one might use at home, an enthusiast should plan on at least two weeks and perhaps as much as four. This scheduling is delicate since over-aging will ruin the cocktail.

Another logistical point is that the nature of what the barrel will do to the cocktail changes as the barrel is used. Every time will be different. Charring may be necessary to restore a neutral container. Finally, after a few uses the barrel itself is spent and becomes a neutral resting vessel, imparting no wood influence.

So, barrel aging a cocktail at home is a lot of work, almost all of which goes unseen. A cocktail smoker, but contrast, means some additional labor on the spot, but puts on a show for guests. Many folks enjoy doing it for its own sake, using their smoking tools for their own enjoyment.

The Tools
When enthusiasts started smoking at home, they approached it in much the same way that bartenders did: adapting existing kitchen tools and improvising resources. A kitchen torch would be used to scorch something, with the smoke captured by a glass beaker. In the case of my aforementioned negroni, the sprigs of rosemary undoubtedly came from the restaurant’s supplier, but an enthusiast doing the same thing could acquire them from a supermarket or home garden.

That was then. Things are more elaborate now, as are the supplies and tools. Butane-burning torches are still common, but sometimes all-electric torches are used. Wood shavings are as common as herbs and peels. Purpose-built lids can eliminate the dexterity needed to swiftly cap the smoke with a beaker. A good example of the range of upgrades can be found with the Aged & Charred whiskey smoker kit.

Sample Recipes

Two examples of how herbs and wood chips/shavings can be used follow, providing an example of each of the major smoking ingredients for cocktails.

Peach Smoked Bourbon Smash

1.5 oz (one shot) bourbon
0.5 oz honey syrup
0.25 oz lemon juice
Two peach slices

Combine all the ingredients except for one of the peach slices (hold one peach slice back as a garnish) in a mixer. Muddle. Add ice, cover and shake for 15-20 seconds, then strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Use your smoking kit to smoke with peach chips/shavings. Scorch the other peach slice with grill marks, skewer and add that as a garnish.

Smoked Rosemary Boulevardier

1.5 oz (one shot) bourbon
1 oz Campari
1 oz sweet vermouth
Orange slice
Rosemary sprig
Cocktail cherry

Combine bourbon, Campari, and vermouth in a beaker. Stir, fill with ice, and let rest for 30 seconds. Place a single, large ice cube or globe into a rocks glass, and strain the cocktail into it. Use your smoking kit to smoke the rosemary into the glass. Garnish with the orange slice and cherry.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a cocktail smoker kit?
A cocktail smoker kit is a set of tools, typically a smoking lid or top, a butane or electric torch, and wood chips or shavings, used to infuse a finished drink with aromatic smoke just before serving.

What’s the difference between a smoked cocktail and a barrel-aged cocktail?
A smoked cocktail is flavored on the spot with a quick burst of smoke, adding aroma and a visual effect in seconds. A barrel-aged cocktail is mixed in advance and rested in a small barrel for weeks to pick up wood character, so it takes planning rather than showmanship.

What can you use to smoke a cocktail?
The two main options are wood chips or shavings (for a toasty, campfire-like note) and fresh herbs such as rosemary. Fruit woods like peach pair especially well with bourbon.