How To Use Smoked Bourbon In Cocktails For A Bold, Fiery Finish

There's no doubt that a good dram of bourbon is already amazing on its own with its vanilla, caramel, and oaky goodness. But do you know what can make it even better? Some smoke — quite literally.

We spoke with Alex Howard, co-founder and beverage director of Martha My Dear, a neighborhood craft cocktail bar in East Nashville, and The Ariston, a cocktail and cigar lounge in downtown Nashville, to get the dig on this technique. "Smoking bourbon greatly enhances its aromatics," he says. "Aroma plays a huge part in bourbon drinking, and infusing the whiskey with smoke can take that sensory experience to another level." It's super simple — you expose bourbon to smoke from different woods (cherry for sweetness, hickory for that bacon-y vibe, or apple for subtle fruitiness) in a smoker — and you've got extra layers of flavor that weren't there before. The wood smoke plays on the natural smokiness of the bourbon from the charred oak barrels that they were aged in.

To smoke your bourbon, grab yourself a decent smoker kit — something like this Cocktail Smoker Kit with Torch works great. Using it is super easy: just toss some wood chips into the smoker, fire up the torch until the wood starts smoldering, and let the smoker do its thing. It'll pump the fragrant smoke right into your bourbon, and in just a few seconds, you'll have a smoke-infused glass ready to go. The best part? The whole process looks pretty darn impressive. As Howard says, it's perfect "to wow bar guests" when you want to serve up both a drink and a show!

An old fashioned is a great starting point for smoked bourbon first-timers. After smoking your bourbon, mix in some bitters and sugar, add an orange peel to garnish, and you're done. One sip, and you'll get why everyone's obsessed with it.

Howard has some tips for something a bit more complex. "Richer flavors pair extremely well with smoke," he explains. "The smoke works as an accent to their deep, sweet qualities. This can apply to both citrus-y shaken cocktails and darker stirred drinks. I love the way smoke and honey play together in a classic gold rush." Just mix your freshly-smoked bourbon with lemon juice and honey syrup, strain it over ice, and you're in for a treat. Coffee lover? Howard is a fan of a smoked revolver, which is simply an old fashioned with a splash of coffee liqueur, that can be mind-blowingly good when mixed properly.

There are tons of cocktails that could use a smoky twist, from super simple to complex. Consider it a new experiment to do at your home bar — try your hands at mixing different drinks together with different wood smokes. You might just find your new favorite smoky combo in the process.