These cocktail smoking guns give beverages a unique flavor

If you’re a cocktail enthusiast, you know that discovering interesting ingredients and preparation methods are half the fun of drink mixing.

Cocktail smokers and accessories provide an exciting way to add new, unexpected flavor complexity to your old favorites. Because smoking beverages is easy to do, you don’t need to be a seasoned mixologist to ignite your guests’ taste buds at your next gathering. 

How cocktail smoking works

Cocktail smokers add nuance to your beverages by infusing them with the smoke created by burning wood chips in small amounts. At the intersection between science and bartending, some cocktail smokers look like something you might see in a chemistry lab. Others are more akin to barbecuing accessories. 

Cocktail smoker types

• Smoking guns: These compact, battery-operated devices let you smoke drinks and other food items anywhere. Burning wood is contained in a small chamber while an electric fan forces the smoke through a flexible hose. You can either bathe your drink in smoke as it comes out of the gun or shoot it into a container with your beverage inside.
• Smoke boards: For the traditionalists, smoke boards require you to burn wood with a small open flame. The smoke is captured manually in a glass or mixing jar, and then you pour in the drink to soak up the flavor. 
• Smoking boxes: These boxes add some drama to the process by bathing your drink glass in clouds of smoke while in a sealed environment. Smoking boxes are fun to use and make for great conversation pieces.
• Glass top smokers: Placed directly on top of your drink glass, these smokers are the most affordable. Wood chips are placed in a small chamber directly above your beverage, and then they are ignited. The smoke sinks into the glass where your beverage absorbs it.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire

Traditional cocktail smoking sets often include a butane torch used to ignite your wood chips. A standard lighter won’t yield good results, as you need quick, intense combustion to evenly burn your wood and create smoke thick enough to provide noticeable flavor.

Wood chip types

The kind of wood chips you burn determines what flavor your smoke will have. Variety packs let you experiment with different chip combinations to create your own signature blends.

• Cherry and apple wood chips provide a sweet, fruity taste.
• Oak gives your beverage classic, earthy undertones.
• Hickory provides a flavor reminiscent of bacon.
• Mesquite chips give your drink a sharp, almost bitter smokiness.

FAQ

Q. Is cocktail smoking safe?

A. Yes, as long as you know the precautions required to light small fires and safely handle hot objects.

Q. How long does it take to smoke a drink?

A. Depending on how intense you want the flavor to be, smoking a beverage only takes between two and four minutes.

Q. Can I infuse other liquids with smoke besides cocktails?

A. Yes. You can use the same method to add smoke to syrups, tomato juice for Bloody Marys and even water that you can then freeze to make smoked ice cubes.

Q. Can I smoke cocktails indoors?

A. Yes. Unless an error has been made, very little smoke is produced while infusing beverages making the process safe to perform inside.

What you need to buy for cocktail smoking
 

PolyScience Breville Gun Pro Smoke Infuser

This smoking gun comes with two wood chip samples, batteries and an integrated stand. Great for beginners and professionals alike, you can use this to smoke fish, meats and desserts as well. 

Sold by Amazon

Homia Smoking Gun Starter Kit

Ready to use out of the box, this set features a smoking gun, a cleaning brush, batteries, a stand, tweezers and other useful accessories. It also includes four wood chip types. 

Sold by Amazon

Cocktail Smoker Board with Torch

This smoking board kit has all the equipment you need to start immediately. A butane torch, three wood chip types, a mixing jar and a carrying bag are included. 

Sold by Amazon

Crafthouse by Fortessa Professional Smoking Box with Handheld Smoker

Made out of stainless steel and glass, this quality box includes a smoking gun. It looks great on any bar top and lets you and your guests watch as the smoke works its magic on whatever beverage you put inside it. 

Sold by Amazon

SmokeTop Cocktail Smoker Kit

This drink smoker sits on top of your glass to infuse it quickly and easily. It includes a bag of cherry wood chips. 

Sold by Amazon

Jax Smok’in Tinder Wood Chips Variety Pack

Choose from five combinations of five different wood chip types to create a wide range of flavorful drink infusions. This set’s resealable tins are clearly labeled to keep your chips organized.

Sold by Amazon

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Derek Walborn writes for FranksWaffle. FranksWaffle has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

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