Cold smoking puts smoke in the drink without heating it: the smoking gun burns the wood chips and blows the smoke under the cloche, where the cocktail takes it up in a minute. Here are the Smoking Gun Pro and the 700 gram portable smoker, the glass cloche with its valve and wood chips in four species.
Cold smoking: the gun, the cloche and the right wood
Smoking a cocktail means holding smoke against the drink for a minute, under a cloche, without warming it. The smoke comes from a gun that burns wood chips on a heating element and pushes the smoke out with a fan. You need three things: the smoking gun, the cloche that keeps the smoke over the glass, and the wood, which sets the flavour. They are three separate purchases, and all three are here.
Smoking Gun Pro or handheld smoker
Smoking Gun Pro
Handheld smoker
Price
The dearer of the two
The cheaper of the two
Weight
700g, metal body
700g, fits in one hand
Where it works
At the station, with the cloche
At the guest's table
Smokes
Cocktails, meat, fish, vegetables
Cocktails and dishes, cold
Both cold smoke and both weigh the same. The Pro is the station tool, with a hose that fits the cloche valve. The handheld goes to the table and is used in front of the guest, where the smoke is half the drink.
The cloche, and why you don't smoke without one
Without a lid the smoke is gone in ten seconds and leaves little behind. The glass cloche has a valve that takes the gun's hose: set it over the glass, fill it with smoke, wait a minute and lift it at the table. It is the moment the guest remembers, and the clear glass shows it to the whole room.
The three pieces that make the serve
The Smoking Gun Pro is the station gun: 700g of metal, it cold smokes cocktails, meat, fish and vegetables, and its hose fits the cloche valve.
The glass cloche holds the smoke against the drink and lifts off at the table: the valve takes the smoking gun hose, and the glass shows the smoke to the whole room.
Cherry wood chips give the most balanced smoke of the four, round and slightly sweet. It is the wood to start with, and the one that suits the most drinks.
The wood sets the flavour: four woods
Wood
Smoke
Works with
Cherry
Round, slightly sweet
Everything: the one to start with
Apple
Delicate, sweet and fruity
Clear spirits and light drinks
Apricot
Fruity and warm
Drinks with nuts and spice
Plum
Full, the strongest
Aged spirits and bitter drinks
Each pack holds 250ml. A pinch is enough for one cloche: the gun works with little wood and a short flame. Keep the chips dry, because damp wood gives acrid smoke instead of aroma.
How to smoke a drink, in five steps
Build the drink and pour it into the glass, with ice. Cover it with the cloche and push the gun's hose into the valve. Put a pinch of chips in the chamber, switch on the fan and bring the flame close: the smoke flows in and fills the cloche. Switch off and wait a minute. Take it to the table and lift the cloche in front of the guest.
Care
Empty the ash from the gun's chamber after every service and go over it with a dry brush, because wood resin builds up fast. Hand wash the cloche in hot water. Keep the fan dry.
For an aroma bubble without smoke there is the Flavour Blaster.
Frequently asked questions
What do you need to smoke a cocktail?
Three things: a smoking gun that burns the wood and blows the smoke, a glass cloche that holds the smoke over the glass for a minute, and wood chips, which set the flavour.
Smoking Gun Pro or handheld smoker?
Both weigh 700g and both cold smoke. The Pro, the dearer of the two, is a station tool with a hose for the cloche. The handheld goes to the table and is used in front of the guest.
Which wood should you start with?
Cherry: a round, slightly sweet smoke that suits almost every drink. Apple for clear spirits, apricot for nuts and spice, plum for aged spirits and bitter drinks.
Does smoking warm the drink?
No, it is cold smoking: the gun burns a few chips and blows only the smoke. The ice stays in the glass and the drink keeps its temperature.
How long does a pack of chips last?
Each pack holds 250ml, and a pinch is enough for one cloche. No number of drinks is stated: it depends on how much wood goes in the chamber.
How do you use a cocktail smoker?
Put a pinch of wood chips in the chamber and light it, and the smoking gun blows smoke under the glass cloche, over the glass. After a minute, lift the cloche: the cocktail has taken on the smoke and has not warmed up, because the smoking is cold.
