Smoked Cocktails At Home? 3 Hacks Do It Without Professional Tools
The art of smoking cocktails makes for a layered tasting experience. Along with being complex in terms of taste, smoked cocktails are also visually stunning and aromatically appealing. Making smoked cocktails is all about recognising how best the smoky infusion can elevate a blend, even as it contributes to striking an overall flavour balance in the cocktail. But it isn’t all about fancy smoke infusers and professional equipment, even with some kitchen basics, you can try your hand at the technique at home.
One of the most imperative elements involved in getting smoked cocktails right is understanding which aromas would work well with the ingredients in the blend. From hickory to cherry wood, rosemary to cinnamon, there are a number of options out there which influence the final aroma that will be infused into the cocktail. Once these ingredients are narrowed down, it becomes that much smoother to craft a cocktail with complementary smoked flavours.
And for a home mixologist, there are several ways out there to make smoky infusions without the need to use complicated equipment. A simple cloche and a basic blowtorch can be an effective coupling to make smoked cocktails simply and smoothly right at the home bar.
Here are some of the hacks to craft smoked cocktails at home without the need to use any fancy equipment or professional tools:
Using Smoke-Infused Ingredients
One of the finest ways to make smoked cocktails at home is to use ingredients that have been infused with a smoky touch. This can mean introducing the flavours of smoked salt or spices like smoked paprika, chipotle powder or even lapsang souchong tea leaves into cocktails. Pre-smoked spirits, carrying a smoky depth, are also interesting alternatives to blend smoked cocktails, which are complete with much flavour consistency. Smoked ingredients work well towards building layered notes into cocktails without overpowering the drink.
One way to add them to blends can involve rimming the serving glasses with smoked salt for a subtle edge. Another hack could be to stir in smoked spices like paprika with simple syrup or bitters so the flavours of this ingredient permeate throughout the drink. With this, it is possible to make smoked cocktails at home without using any fancy tools even as the drinks themselves carry a very earthy and smoky quality.
Also Read: As If Life’s Drama Wasn’t Enough, Smoked Cocktails Have Now Become My Newest Theatrical Preference
Toasting Or Charring Ingredients
Another hack to make smoked cocktails at home using just the bare essentials is to add charred ingredients to blends. This can come in the form of roasted or barbecued fruit like pineapple wedges or oranges grilled on an open flame. Lightly charring citrus peels, herbs, or even wood chips over a flame can go a long way in imbuing their subtle yet quite present smoky nuances into diverse cocktails.
As well, one other way of introducing smoky elements in cocktails can be in the form of smoked herbal garnishes. Lightly toast rosemary, thyme or sage on an open flame or on a pan and place these horizontally across a rocks glass or any other cocktail glass with a wide mouth. The subtle smoky vapours arising out of the herbs will seep into the cocktail blend, lending it a deep edge. Another option could be to use roasted cinnamon sticks as an aromatic, smoked garnish over winter time cocktails.
Covered Cloche And Wood Chips
And a slightly less complicated hack to make smoked cocktails effectively at home is to use a simple cloche or even a large vessel and some toasted wood chips. Place the cocktail glass and wood chips under the cloche and trap the aromatic smoke inside for a more theatrical effect, all without using any kind of intricate professional equipment.
Source wood chips, dried herbs or tea leaves for this purpose and roast them in a cast iron pan until they begin to release an aromatic smoke. This simple hack releases aromatic vapours out of the herbs smoothly, lending cocktails a fragrant, smoky effect while enabling you to experiment a bit with some intermediate mixology techniques.
With these three methods, you can effectively add a level of smoky flavour to your cocktail experiments without the need for any professional tools at home.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
