Smoked Old Fashioned [Cocktail Recipe]

Norton Christopher, bar chef at New Orleans’s Sac-a-Lait, incorporates smoked ice and citrus peels into his When Smoking Was Infashioned. The process takes some work, but makes for a drink with a lasting smoky flavor.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 oz. Buffalo Trace bourbon
  • ⅛ oz. double-strength demerara syrup
  • 6 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 1 large smoked ice cube (recipe below)
  • Smoked orange and lemon peels (recipe below)

DIRECTIONS

Pour the bourbon, syrup, and bitters into a rocks glass. Add smoked ice cube and stir until chilled. Express the smoked orange and lemon peels on top of cocktail and place in glass.

How to Make Smoked Ice
Fill a sealable container halfway with water. With a smoking gun, fill the remainder of the container with pecan wood smoke, seal, and shake until the smoke is dissolved into the water, about 15 to 20 seconds. Freeze water in large ice cube molds. (If you don’t have a smoking gun, use the double-boiler method: Put water in a heat-proof bowl. Inside the bowl, place a metal strainer that reaches across the top of the bowl, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the strainer. Place wood chips in a foil pouch and place in the strainer. Use a long lighter to set fire to the wood chips and cover the double-boiler with a lid to let smoke fill the container. Keep the lid on for 2 to 4 hours to allow the smoke to absorb into the liquid. Then freeze the water into cubes.)

How to Make Smoked Citrus
Place orange and lemon peels in a sealable container and, using a smoking gun, fill with apple smoke. Seal and let sit until smoke dissipates.

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