NEXT-LEVEL TECHNIQUE: INTRODUCING SMOKY FLAVORS

What is it about smoke that’s so comforting? Is there something deep in our animal brain that causes us to associate it with safety, warmth, and sustenance, perhaps activating our ancient hunter-gatherer heritage? Whatever it is, smoke is a powerful flavor and aroma in food, and it can be transformative in cocktails as well.

At the most basic level, smoke flavors can be introduced into cocktails via ingredients that have a smoky notes, particularly smoky spices, like paprika or cumin, and smoked ingredients, like chipotle chiles. These can be used as ingredients in syrups or infusions, or in powder form for rimming glasses. But that’s hardly a next-level technique. So in this section, we’ll discuss how the flavors of actual smoke can be infused into both cocktails and their ingredients.

You may wonder why we offer this technique in our chapter on Flips. Though smoking can add another layer of flavor to many styles of cocktails, Flips, thanks to their composition, can capture smoke in a way that no other cocktail can, since the fats in egg or dairy are ideal for trapping all sorts of flavors. The fat will absorb a wide range of the components that make up the personality of smoke, whereas introducing smoke into a lean drink, like an Old-Fashioned variation, may produce results that teeter on the edge of a liquid smoke flavor. In all cases, the key is to keep the particular cocktail in mind and be very judicious: use too much and it will dominate a drink; use too little and it may have no impact. Also be aware that people have widely different tolerances for smokiness in a drink, so again, moderation is key.

Smoking a liquid ingredient or an entire cocktail may seem inconceivable, but in reality, it’s quite easy. The basic method is to apply heat to wood until it’s smoldering, then allow the smoke to interact with the surface area of the liquid. The smoke will infuse the liquid in a matter of minutes. Where the art comes in lies in specific choices, from choosing a cocktail that would benefit from the addition of smoke flavors, to selecting a type of wood or other smokable substance that has an affinity for the ingredients, to how you apply the smoke.

Hardwoods are the most common substance used for smoking food, as their smoke tends to be sweet and flavorful. But other dried ingredients can also be used, including teas and herbs.

As mentioned previoously, smoke has a powerful aroma and flavor that can easily overwhelm a cocktail, so we tend to infuse ingredients with only a modest amount of smoke, and then combine them with ingredients that have inherently complementary qualities, such as the vanilla richness of an oak-aged spirit, or that mimic flavors people are familiar with, such as the sweet smokiness of barbecue or the tobacco smoke of a cigar.

Campfire Flip

ALEX DAY, 2017

The Campfire Flip is a smoky riff on a classic Flip. We start with a smoked ingredient: Hickory-Smoked Cognac, which we pair with sherry and a bit of vanilla liqueur. The result is a rich drink with a smoked-woody complexity that plays off the barrel-aged flavors already present in both the Cognac and the sherry.

1 ounce Hickory Smoke–Infused Cognac (this page)

1 ounce Lustau Los Arcos amontillado sherry

1 teaspoon Giffard Vanilla de Madagascar

½ ounce Demerara Gum Syrup (this page)

1 whole egg

Garnish: Cinnamon and nutmeg

Dry shake all the ingredients, then shake again with ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a few grates of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Smoky Colada

ALEX DAY, 2017

Smoky flavors need not be introduced via smoke itself; they can also be added by including ingredients that have smoky flavors conferred by cooking, such as grilling. One of our favorite ways of working with this in cocktails is to use a syrup made with grilled pineapple, as in this smoky variation on the Piña Colada (this page). Substituting our Grilled Pineapple Syrup for some of the fresh pineapple juice takes this rich tropical drink in a slightly savory direction.

2 ounces Caña Brava white rum

½ ounce Cruzan Black Strap rum

¾ ounce fresh pineapple juice

¾ ounce Grilled Pineapple Syrup (this page)

1 ounce House Coconut Cream (this page)

Garnish: 1 pineapple wedge and 1 brandied cherry on an umbrella skewer

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker and whip, shaking with a few pieces of crushed ice, just until incorporated, then dump into a double Old-Fashioned glass and fill the glass with crushed ice. Garnish with the pineapple wedge and cherry and serve with a straw.

SMOKING TOOLS

Here are some of our favorite tools for adding smoke flavors to cocktails.

Smoking gun: There are several options on the market, but one of our favorites is PolyScience’s Smoking Gun Pro. A small fan draws smoke from the burn chamber and directs it through a tube that can be submerged into a liquid or be used to smoke the space on top of or around a drink. The smoke is cold, so it won’t heat drinks, and the smoke output can be adjusted to produce a lot of smoke or just a little. Because of its compact size, it’s ideal for quickly adding smoke to an ingredient or an entire cocktail.

Wood stave or plank: In addition to seasoning ingredients with smoke, you can season glasses or other serving vessels. We love to do this using a wood stave from an old bourbon barrel to generate a rich smoldering smoke that evokes American whiskey. Place the stave on a heatproof surface, inner side up, and use a butane torch to light the surface on fire, toasting the stave until embers glow and smoke begins to waft. Then place a glass on top of the plank so the smoke’s sweet vanilla and spice aromas will season it. It’s a wonderful way to create a dramatic version of a Sazerac-style cocktail that has lingering aromas on the glass and a contrasting or complementary cocktail within.

Torch: A butane kitchen torch is a useful tool to have around. It’s great for lighting wood chips in a Smoking Gun or other similar device, and it can also be used to ignite herbs for a smoky garnish, or to char a wood plank or stave (see previous).

Grill: We sometimes cook fruits or vegetables on a wood-fired grill to impart a deeply smoky flavor, then use those ingredients as the base in a syrup or mix, as in our Grilled Pineapple Syrup (this page). If you have a gas grill, don’t fret: you can add smoke using wood chips in a foil pouch or metal box.

SMOKING WITH WOOD

By far the most common way to introduce smoke into cocktails is with wood smoke. We follow barbecue doctrine and use only hardwood chips, since soft woods like cedar, pine, fir, spruce, and hemlock produce a thick smoke that can be dangerous to inhale and creates an unpleasant flavor. Although different types of wood do produce different flavors, the amount of smoke they produce has a greater impact. Here are some of the most common woods used for smoking, arranged from least to most smoky:

Mild woods (cherry, apple, peach, pear, and birch): These woods produce sweet and fruity smoke and are best paired with lighter ingredients, such as fresh fruits to be used in syrups.

Medium woods (oak, hickory, maple, pecan, sarsaparilla): If you can choose only one wood for smoking, make it either oak or hickory. Both pair well with many ingredients and are noticeably smoky without being overwhelming. Oak is a natural accompaniment to any aged spirit, and hickory’s sweet smoke will beautifully accent American whiskey or apple brandy.

Strong woods (mesquite, pimento, walnut): These woods, particularly mesquite, produce the strongest smoke, which can quickly overpower a cocktail. We recommend to either season a glass or the top of a cocktail, rather than to flavor an ingredient or the cocktail.

If using a Smoking Gun, you’ll need small wood shavings. Pack them in an even layer in the gun’s bowl, though not so tight that oxygen can’t get through. Turn on the unit and light the chips using a torch. Let the first whiffs of smoke dissipate and wait for the visible flame to subside; though the wood is burning at this point, it isn’t yet producing the smoke you’re after. When the wood is smoldering and has red embers, it’s producing flavorful smoke. At this point, insert the tube into the liquid, or above the liquid in a covered container, and smoke for ten seconds. Use a large enough container that will trap smoke when sealed. Allow the smoke to linger until it clears.

SMOKING WITH FLAMMABLE INGREDIENTS

Another way to introduce smoke flavors is to ignite certain ingredients that lend themselves to combustion. We primarily do this with tea leaves and herbs and spices.

Tea Leaves: Dried tea leaves are great for smoking using a Smoking Gun. Teas that already have a smoky flavor, such as Lapsang souchong, or tea blends with woodsy and fruity flavors, such as August Uncommon Tea’s A Field in Innsbruck (see Resources, this page), are particularly good choices. Experiment with different teas; some will act much like soft wood, producing a sweet smoke.

Herbs and Spices: Lighting herbs on fire and allowing them to perfume either the top of a cocktail or simply the air around the cocktail can be an incredibly powerful way to introduce a touch of smoke. Torched rosemary is one of our favorites. Take a long sprig of rosemary and, using a torch, light the leaves on fire. As they crackle, an intense woodsy aroma is released. This rosemary can be placed on the drink (be careful of burning embers!) or simply nearby; its aroma is powerful enough to perfume an entire room. You can use a similar approach with cinnamon.

Smoke-Infused Ice: Though a chunk of ice may seem impenetrable, it will absorb surrounding flavors and aromas. This is one reason why our bars have freezers dedicated solely to ice. (Yes, you should only use your home freezer for ice; please extend our apologies to your roommates or spouse.) To flavor ice with smoke, place the ice in a plastic container with a lid. Cover, leaving the top open just enough to slide in the tube from a Smoking Gun. Inject smoke inside so that it is dense enough not to see through, then seal the container and freeze for a few hours to allow the smoke to infuse the ice. It will have a subtle smoke flavor, making for a unique addition to an Old-Fashioned-style drink.