If we’ve learnt one thing from frequenting bars over the last decade, it is that if there is smoke, there might not be fire, but there definitely is a delicious cocktail somewhere. For years we’ve been equal parts impressed and intimidated by the art of smoking spirits. And have gladly left it to the professionals, just like we did with making fancy cocktails. Thanks to the pandemic, both those things have now changed.
We’ve learnt how to craft cocktails- be it from scratch or with the help of kits- that look as good as they taste. And now we can expertly smoke our cocktails at home too, thanks to Spirits with Smoke. The Canadian brand is making smoking drinks seem like child’s play. Well, not literally, it is after all alcohol and fire you’re dealing with and you want to make sure that you’re doing it with caution and taking all safety measures.
A little background: Spirits with Smoke is a passion project of two BFFs, Antonio and Meredith. The two met while working at a premium whisky bar, One 18 Empire, where their smoked drinks were a mega-hit. They eventually decided to use their behind-the-bar experience and creativity to make it possible for people to have a full-sensory drinking experience at home as well.
After the success of their first board designed for restaurants to smoke cocktails, they now have a line-up of products including a smoking saucer set, smoked cocktail kits, smoked Old Fashioned kit and other essentials needed by home bartenders to amp up their smokey drink game.
Even greater news is that they’ve just launched a smoked Gin Kit. Imagine this: you have your friends over, you are flaunting those newly harnessed home bartending skills and then in the most theatrical manner, serve your friends a Rosemary Negroni in a glass laced with cloudy smoke.
Yes, a mic-drop moment indeed. But smoking your drinks actually does more than just add a fun and memorable visual flare that impresses family and friends. When you smoke a drink, it gets infused with the flavourful molecules created by wood combustion giving the drink a rich, woodsy aroma, or in layperson terms, flavour. More the aroma, richer the taste and fuller the experience.
Because smoked drinks get infused with woody flavours, it’s important to decide what wood you want to smoke. Each variety has a different aroma. The Spirits with Smoke kits come with 5 different wood varieties- Cherry, Hickory, Maple, Oak and Walnut. You can choose which one you want to smoke based on your beverage and personal preference.
In addition to their ‘smoked’ range, which btw is handcrafted by skilled artisans (retired and/or differently-abled), there are also recipe cards that give detailed, step-by-step instructions for concocting restaurant-grade libations at home.
Spirits with Smoke is just as responsible environmentally as it is socially. Not only are all of their products compostable, biodegradable or recyclable, they’ve also partnered with One Tree Planted to plant a tree each time a product is sold. Responsible much? We think so!
