Smoking Gun

Usage

Smoking the inside of a glass before pouring, or trapping smoke over a finished drink under a cloche. Suits stirred, spirit-forward drinks such as Old Fashioneds, Manhattans and Negronis, and anything with whisky, mezcal or aged rum in it.

Cold Smoke

A small chamber holds a pinch of wood chips, a fan draws air through them, and a filament or a flame ignites them. The resulting smoke travels down a length of hose and arrives at the glass at close to room temperature.

That temperature is the point. Smoking food normally means heat, which cooks what it flavours; a drink cannot be cooked. Cold smoke deposits the aromatic compounds, guaiacol, syringol and the phenols that read as campfire and bacon, onto a cold surface without warming anything.

It is a recent piece of equipment, borrowed from the kitchen in the late 2000s, and it did not exist in any classical bar.

Smell or Taste

Mostly smell, and that is not a criticism, since most of what we call flavour arrives through the nose.

The phenolic compounds in smoke are volatile and settle on surfaces rather than dissolving deeply into liquid. Smoke a glass, pour a Manhattan into it, and the aroma is unmistakable while the liquid itself is barely changed. Trap smoke under a cloche over the finished drink and a little more dissolves into the surface, but it is still dominated by aroma.

That makes it a garnish rather than an ingredient. Which is exactly the right way to use it: it should suggest a smoked drink, not replace what is in the glass.

Wood

Match the wood to the spirit rather than reaching for the strongest.

Oak is the safe default and the most appropriate one, since the spirit was almost certainly aged in it, and it gives vanilla, coconut and toast. Cherry and apple are milder and sweeter, and suit lighter drinks or anything with fruit. Hickory and mesquite are aggressive; mesquite in particular turns bitter fast and belongs on brisket rather than in a Negroni.

Buy chips sold for food smoking, not barbecue chunks or anything treated. Softwoods such as pine and cedar, and anything resinous, produce harsh, turpentine-like smoke and should never go near a drink.

Overdoing It

Easily, and it is the usual failure. Ten to fifteen seconds of smoke in a glass is a strong dose; thirty seconds produces something that tastes like an ashtray and cannot be rescued.

The reason people overshoot is that smoke looks dramatic and dissipates visibly, so the instinct is to add more until it stays. It always looks like too little and tastes like too much.

Smoke, cover, wait thirty seconds to let it settle and mellow, then pour. Taste before you serve it. And use it sparingly across a menu. Every drink smoked is a menu with one flavour.

What to Look For

• A chamber that burns chips evenly
• Steady, gentle airflow
• A hose that reaches into cloches
• Spare filters available

Professional Tips

• Smoke the empty glass, then pour. Cleaner than smoking the drink.
• Ten to fifteen seconds. It is stronger than it looks.
• Let it settle for thirty seconds before serving.
• Empty and brush the chamber after every use.

Specifications