Look, I’m not going to pretend I didn’t feel slightly ridiculous the first time I lit a tiny pile of wood chips on top of a rocks glass. My husband walked in, saw the smoke billowing out, and asked if I was “summoning something.”

But then I handed him that Old Fashioned. And he got very, very quiet.

A $30 handheld smoker can make your home cocktails taste like they cost $18 at a fancy bar with exposed brick and a bartender named something like “Jasper.” Most people assume smoking drinks requires expensive equipment or mixology school. It doesn’t. You need basic tools, the right wood, and about 45 seconds of patience.

Here’s everything I’ve learned after way too many experiments (and one truly terrible smoked Daiquiri we don’t talk about).

First Things First: Not Every Drink Wants Smoke

Before you go full pyromaniac on your liquor cabinet, you need to know which bottles actually benefit from a little fire and which ones will taste like regret.

Here’s my quick and dirty rule: If the cocktail tastes good neat or on the rocks, it’ll probably take smoke well. If it depends on fresh citrus and bright, zippy flavors, smoke will bulldoze everything.

Heavier spirits are your friends here. Bourbon, rye, aged rum, mezcal, scotch these have enough body to stand up to smoke and actually get more interesting. A smoked Old Fashioned? Absolutely yes. A smoked Daiquiri? I tried it so you don’t have to. (It tasted like someone put out a cigarette in my lime juice.)

Think of smoke as seasoning, not a personality. A little goes a long way.

Picking Your Smoke Setup (Without Buying Another Gadget You’ll Never Use)

You’ve got three main options, and honestly, the most popular one fits in a drawer right next to your random cords and that garlic press you swore you’d use more.

Handheld cocktail smokers ($25-$50): These sit on top of your glass, burn a pinch of wood chips, and push smoke straight into the drink. For 90% of home bartenders, this is the move. Brands like Foghat and Breville make solid ones. I use mine constantly.

Smoking guns ($80-$150): These look like tiny power tools and give you more control. Useful if you also want to smoke cheese or meat, but honestly overkill for most cocktail situations.

The cloche/dome setup: This is pure theater. You trap smoke under a glass dome, lift it tableside, and watch your guests’ eyes go wide as smoke spills everywhere. The flavor is lighter since the smoke only touches the drink briefly but the drama? Chef’s kiss.

The “I refuse to buy another gadget” path: A small butane torch ($15), a ceramic dish, some wood chips, and a large glass or bowl to trap the smoke. More fiddly, but it works. I respect the commitment.

Wood Chips: Your New Tiny Obsession

This is where you get to feel like both a scientist and a little woodland creature playing with fire.

The basic principle: match the intensity of the wood to the weight of the spirit. Applewood and cherry are mild and forgiving start here. Oak is the reliable middle ground. Hickory and mesquite are intense and will absolutely bully a delicate drink if you’re not careful.

A few pairings I swear by:

• Applewood (sweet, fruity) → bourbon, apple brandy, rum
• Cherry (light, slightly sweet) → rye, bourbon, amaretto drinks
• Oak (vanilla, caramel vibes) → basically any whiskey aged in oak barrels, so… most of them
• Hickory (big, baconesque) → peated scotch, mezcal spirits that can handle the attitude
• Mesquite → Use sparingly. This one can turn bitter FAST, like leaving toast in too long and then calling it “artisan.”

Start with one small pinch of chips and 30-45 seconds of smoke time. You can always add more. You cannot unsmoke a drink. (Trust me. I’ve tried willing it to happen.)

Bonus move: Dried rosemary, cinnamon sticks, and dried citrus peel also smoke beautifully. A rosemary sprig under the glass can add an herbal edge to gin drinks that don’t normally play well with smoke.

Three Ways to Actually Do This

Pick your vibe: a hint, a halo, or the full campfire experience.

Method 1: Torch Your Garnish (The Subtle Wink)

This is the gentlest approach just a whisper of smoke.

Use a butane torch to char the edge of an orange peel, rosemary sprig, or cinnamon stick. Hold the flame about an inch away and aim for browning and curling, not ash (10-15 seconds). Drop it in or express it over the drink immediately.

Small move, surprisingly big upgrade.

Method 2: Smoke Rinse the Glass (The Classy Middle Ground)

This gives you the aroma without making the drink itself taste like a bonfire. Perfect for guests who are “smoke curious but cautious.”

Chill your glass. Fill it with smoke using your smoker or by trapping smoke under an upside down bowl. Wait 30-60 seconds. Dump the smoke, pour the cocktail immediately. The smoke clings to the cold glass and you smell it on every sip.

Subtle, elegant, and genuinely hard to mess up.

Method 3: Full Infusion (The “Ooooh” Moment)

This is the one that makes people act like you just did a magic trick.

Make your cocktail, pour it into the glass, set the smoker on top, light the chips, and let the smoke sit for 30-90 seconds. Remove the smoker, give it a gentle stir, serve.

Timing matters: 30 seconds is light. 60 seconds is noticeable but balanced. Past 90 seconds, you’re flirting with harsh, bitter territory. (If you ignore this, your future self is watching. And judging.)

You’ll know you nailed it when the first sip feels deeper richer, more complex and then fades back into the drink’s normal profile instead of tasting like straight campfire the whole way down.

Three Recipes That Are Basically Built for This

Smoked Old Fashioned: The obvious starting point for a reason. Two ounces bourbon, a barspoon of simple syrup, two dashes Angostura bitters, built in the glass. Smoke 45-60 seconds with oak or cherry. The bourbon’s richness pairs perfectly with wood smoke. This is the drink that converted me.

Smoked Manhattan: Vermouth’s herbal bitterness can handle a little char. Use cherry or oak, but keep smoke contact to 30-45 seconds vermouth gets sharp if you overdo it. This is not the time for bravery.

Smoked Margarita (Sort Of): Okay, hear me out. Swap in mezcal for the tequila, or do a 50/50 split. Mezcal already brings smoke from pit roasted agave flavor, so you’re amplifying rather than forcing something unnatural. It works surprisingly well.

Mistakes I’ve Made So You Don’t Have To

Oversmoking: The number one beginner error. The drink smells incredible in that smoke cloud, and then you take a sip and it tastes like an ashtray. You can always smoke more on the next round. You cannot unsmoke this one.

Wrong glassware: Wide mouth glasses dump smoke too fast. Rocks glasses, coupes, and Nick & Nora glasses hold it better. Narrow openings are your friend.

Stale smoke: If you let smoke hang around and cool before sealing it in, it turns sharp and acrid. Move fast. Ignite, capture, seal, time it, serve.

Dirty equipment: Old residue adds bitter, funky off notes. Wipe after each use. (Ask me how I learned this one.)

If your drink tastes harsh, cut smoke time first. Still too intense? Switch to a milder wood or just smoke rinse the glass instead of full infusion.

The “I Don’t Feel Like Playing With Fire” Shortcuts

Sometimes you want the vibe without the ritual. Or you don’t feel like explaining to your smoke alarm that you’re doing something “artisanal.”

• Float a smoky spirit: Add a quarter ounce of Laphroaig or mezcal as a float on top. Instant smoke, zero equipment.
• Smoky bitters: Bittermens Hellfire bitters add a smoky edge with just a dash or two.
• Smoked simple syrup: Cold smoke simple syrup for five minutes, strain, bottle. Keeps for weeks and sneaks smoke into any drink without the production.

Lazy genius is still genius.

Quick Safety Stuff (Because I Like You)

This is fun, but let’s keep it fun:

• Work near a window or range hood. You’re using tiny amounts of smoldering wood, but ventilation keeps you from setting off alarms and stinking up your kitchen.
• Never leave burning chips unattended. Keep a small bowl of water nearby to douse them when you’re done.
• Only use food safe wood. No treated lumber, painted scraps, or mystery wood from the garage. Buy chips meant for cooking or use wood from a known, untreated fruit tree.

That’s it. Now go light a tiny pinch of chips and make your Tuesday night Paloma taste unreasonably expensive.

You’ve earned it.