By now, you know Raichlen's rule: If a food tastes great baked, fried or sautéed, it tastes even better grilled. So, if a co*cktail hits the spot shaken or stirred, it surely sips better smoked.
Which brings us to one of one of the hottest trends in American mixology these days: smoked co*cktails. Smoke has been called the "umami of barbecue." According to master mixologist, Dale DeGroff (if you don't own his book The Essential co*cktail, run -- don't walk -- to your local bookstore), smoke adds character and complexity that can turn a co*cktail you've drunk a thousand times into a drink of great depth and distinction.
There are two ways to add smoke to co*cktails. The first is to use an intrinsically smoky ingredient, like single malt scotch or pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika). The second is to infuse the drink with actual wood smoke.
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When choosing your ingredients, aim for smoky spirits. Scotch whisky -- the ultimate smoky spirit -- owes it distinctive iodine-smoke flavor to peat. Or try mescal, which is made in Mexico's Oaxaca region by smoking the hearts of agave and other cacti.
Other smoky co*cktail flavorings include:
- Chipotle chiles (smoked jalapenos). The perfect fuel for spicing up a margarita or bloody Mary.
If you want to add smoke directly into your co*cktail, you'll need a smoke gun. Yes, a handheld smoker is the latest weapon in a barman's (not to mention barbecue fanatic's) arsenal. I recommend both The Smoking Gun by PolyScience and The Aladin Smoker.
So how do you actually smoke a co*cktail with wood smoke?
- Coat the inside of the glass with smoke flavor. Fill an inverted bar glass with smoke. Tightly cover the glass with a coaster and turn it back over. Let stand for one to two minutes. Add the co*cktail and serve immediately, with the glass still smoking. Try the Dragon's Breath.
Find out more about smoky flavorings you can add to your co*cktails to get that distinctive barbecue flavor.
Check out five more smoked co*cktails to add to your repertoire. Think of them as barbecue you can drink:
Do you have a question about smoke guns, cool tools, or anything else barbecue-related? Ask me anything in my new Ask Steven forum. I'll fill you in on all the interesting tips I've picked up during my travels around Planet Barbecue.
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READ MORE ABOUT GRILLING AT BARBECUEBIBLE.COM
Steven Raichlen is the author of the Barbecue! Bible cookbook series and the host of Primal Grill on PBS. His web site is www.barbecuebible.com.
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