This is a recipe inspired and made possible by two friends. My friend Jen was the first person I had (at her suggestion) a Smoked Old Fashioned with and my friend Jules gave me the smoking gun and chamber that I use. I love this drink as it makes me think of good times with them and, on top of that, it’s damn good. I’ve taken this a bit over the top, you can use some or all of the suggestions I make below.
- Large (2-inch) smoked ice cubes (I make these using a smoking gun and chamber, you can also do it by adding a few drops of liquid smoke (which is just highly concentrated smoke
– infused water) to water before freezing it - 2 oz. peaty Scotch whiskey (something from Islay (which is where the Scottish part of my family is from) like Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Bowmore, or Ardbeg)
- 2-4 dashes of bitters – I use 2 dashes of cherry bitters and 2 dashes of smoked orange bitters; you can use the bitters you like or have on hand. If you like less bitter flavors go with 2 dashes, if you like more bitter go with 4
- 1/2 – 1 t of sugar (I use brown as it has a deeper flavor), to your taste, I use less sugar as I don’t like super sweet drinks
- 1 cocktail cherry (I like Luxardo brand)
- 1 strip of orange peel
Add the sugar and bitters to a rocks glass and stir a bit to start to dissolve the sugar. Add the ice cube and whisky. Stir for 20-30 seconds until chilled. Garnish with the cherry and orange peel. Enjoy!
