Smoked.......water???

Ok, something a little different for the smoker. Apparently, smoked cocktails are all the rage. I have a smoker (well, three of them), so I should be able to make these, right? It didn't seem smart to just throw a mixed drink into the smoker for an hour, so I a bit of internet searching came up with another idea.......smoked water!

I filled the bottom of a foil pan with a single layer of ice cubes from the freezer. I hit them with Applewood smoke for about 45 minutes (at about 240F.) When I removed the pan from the smoker, there was still a bit of ice floating in the mix, so it was still nice and cool. Poured the water into my spherical cube (is that a thing?) moulds, and into the freezer.

Smoky Old Fashioned:

.5 oz simple syrup (50/50 sugar/water)
2.5 oz bourbon (that you like....I used Basil Hayden, since the CostCo price doesn't make me feel too badly about mixing it)
3-4 dashes bitters
1 smoked ice cube
garnish with orange peel

This actually worked out quite well on the first try. One thing that I changed after the first one I made is that I used a shaker to get the cocktail cold, then poured that over the smoked ice cube. This allows the cube in the drink to melt more slowly. The smoke flavor/aroma is very subtle, but a very nice addition to a standard Old Fashioned. It takes 3-5 minutes before you really notice the smoke (my sense of smell is not great), and it increases a bit over the course of your cocktail enjoyment.

This was an easy experiment and one that I will do again for sure. Give it a try!

Smoky Old Fashioned:



....a slightly artistic shot:



Cheers,
Rich

Rich, I think it would be easier just save the water out of my water pan the next time I smoke a brisket or a butt! Honestly, you'd make anything look good and that is one refreshing looking cocktail, however I'm glad I'm a beer drinker.

Sounds and looks great Rich. Gee Cliff now I wonder if I should start putting water in the water pan when smoking a brisket. I could make a great smoky greasy martini.

Smoked salt might be a fun ingredient to play around with too - similar to cold smoking cheese.

Liquid smoke might be worth trying, the hard work's already been done for you:

https://www.seriouseats.com/2013/11/pantry-essentials-liquid-smoke.html

Sounds interesting, looks really good, but only bourbon, on regular rocks, works for me.

Bob Correll said:

Sounds interesting, looks really good, but only bourbon, on regular rocks, works for me.

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" some stupid with a flare gun "

Oooh, I think if we made a cocktail with brisket water, we could call it a Greased Lightning?

The other route I was considering was smoked sugar, which would then have been used in the simple syrup. I may still try that one.

I have smoked salt several times, and I like it as a way to get a bit of smoky essence into something that isn't on the grill. I still can't help but thinking of liquid smoke as cheating somehow!

Thanks for the comments, folks. Needed a chuckle or two this afternoon.

Rich

We’ve old smoked vodka, tequila, and whiskey. Definitely get the hint of smoke in your cocktail.

Now that's smoking outside the box. Very cool.

I have not done it, but may try it some day. Sounds excellent in a Bloody Mary also. This is a recipe from another site I saw a couple of weeks ago for Smoked Ice also.

Doug Selman said:

I have not done it, but may try it some day. Sounds excellent in a Bloody Mary also. This is a recipe from another site I saw a couple of weeks ago for Smoked Ice also.

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Doug, that is one of the sites I read while doing a bit of research. I think you are absolutely right, this would be good in a Bloody!

R