Smoked Old Fashioned Recipe: How to Smoke One at Home

A smoked Old Fashioned is 2 oz bourbon, 1/4 oz Demerara syrup and 2 dashes of Angostura bitters stirred over one large ice cube, finished with an orange peel and a quick pass of cherry or oak wood smoke. To smoke an Old Fashioned at home, set a cocktail smoker on the glass, load a small pinch of wood chips, and aim a butane torch down through the chips until the glass fills with thick white smoke, then lift the smoker and serve. With the SmokeTop Cocktail Smoker by Middleton Mixology, that whole smoke step takes about 10 seconds from torch to reveal.

That is the short answer. The rest of this is how I actually make it at home, which wood and which bourbon I reach for, and the mistakes I made before I got it right.

I make more smoked Old Fashioneds than any other smoked drink. When friends come over and see the smoker sitting next to the bourbon, this is the one they ask for. I get it. Bourbon spends years in charred oak barrels, so putting wood smoke back on it feels like finishing a thought.

Smoked Old Fashioned Recipe

Makes one cocktail.

Ingredient	Amount
Bourbon	2 oz
Demerara syrup (1:1)	1/4 oz, or 1 sugar cube
Angostura bitters	2 dashes
Orange bitters (optional)	1 dash
Large ice cube or sphere	1
Orange peel	1 wide strip
Brandied cherry (optional)	1
Cherry or oak wood chips	A small pinch, about the size of a cherry

Tools: a cocktail smoker such as the SmokeTop, a butane torch, a rocks glass, a jigger and a bar spoon.

Smoke spec: cherry or oak chips, a small pinch, one quick pass. Smoke the finished drink, or smoke the glass and ice first and pour over it. Both work.

Put the Demerara syrup and bitters in a rocks glass, add the bourbon, then drop in the big cube and stir for 20 to 30 seconds. You want it cold and a little diluted before any smoke goes near it. Express the orange peel over the top, skin side down, so the oils land on the surface, and drop it in. Now smoke it, lift the smoker and hand it over. If you want the recipe on one screen, we keep a smoked Old Fashioned recipe card too.

I use Demerara instead of white sugar because its molasses note holds up next to the smoke. White sugar works. It just disappears a little.

How to Smoke an Old Fashioned at Home

Put a small amount of chips in the top of the SmokeTop, just enough to cover the mesh screen, and set it on the glass. Hold the torch about 5 inches above it and point the flame straight down through the chimney, then slowly bring it down to 2 or 3 inches. The force of the butane pushes the smoke down through the chips and into the glass. The glass should fill with thick, white smoke in about 5 seconds. If it is taking longer than that, turn the torch up. If the flame is blowing chips out of the chimney, turn it down. Lift the SmokeTop, and the drink is ready. Tip the spent chips into something that will not burn, like a metal dish or an ashtray.

The SmokeTop Cocktail Smoker by Middleton Mixology (U.S. Patent No. 11,871,769) is a smoker top made from American cherry wood that sits directly on the rim of a rocks glass. Its patented two-tier shape channels smoke down into the glass, and grooves on the underside let the air already in the glass escape, so the smoke keeps flowing in instead of backing up into the room.

There are two ways to do it, and I use both.

Smoke the glass and ice first, then pour. The smoke coats the ice and the inside of the glass with its oils. When you pour the stirred drink in, that outer layer of the ice melts into it and carries the smoke through the whole drink. This gives you the stronger smoke flavor.

Build the drink, then smoke on top. The smoke settles on the surface of the drink. It is lighter, and it is how most recipes do it.

Neither one is wrong. If someone at the table says they are not sure they like smoke, I build first and smoke on top. If they already love an Islay Scotch, I smoke the glass first.

Should an Old Fashioned Be Smoked?

Not every one, no. A good Old Fashioned does not need anything. But the smoked version is its own drink, and it is worth knowing how to make.

What matters to me is that the smoke acts as an ingredient. Back when I was bartending I went to a gorgeous bar where the bartender pulled out a giant leaf blower looking device to smoke my drink. Cool idea. It smoked out the room and took away from everything around it. The smoke was a show, not an ingredient. That stuck with me when I built the SmokeTop. My rule was simple: if it takes more than 10 seconds, it is not worth my time.

Best Wood for a Smoked Old Fashioned

Cherry is my pick for an Old Fashioned. It is mild and a little sweet, and it ties straight back to the cherry garnish. If someone hands me a bourbon and a tin of cherry chips, I am happy.

Oak is the other easy answer. It mirrors the charred barrel the bourbon came out of, so it reinforces the vanilla and caramel without adding anything foreign. If you are not sure where to start, start with oak.

Hickory is bold and savory. Save it for a high-proof or barrel-strength bourbon that can carry it, and keep the pinch small.

Apple is light and forgiving, a good match for a lower-proof, vanilla-forward bourbon. For a rye Old Fashioned I like pecan, which is nutty and rounds out the spice. And when the sweetener is maple syrup, maple wood is the obvious call.

We sell nine woods as single tins, two four-packs and bulk refill bags, all in our cocktail smoking wood chips. Use food-grade chips made for smoking, never scrap lumber.

Best Bourbon for a Smoked Old Fashioned

Smoke turns up the volume on whatever the bourbon already has, so pick a bottle you like neat. Caramel-forward bourbons in the 90 to 100 proof range are the sweet spot, because they hold their shape through the stir and the smoke. Buffalo Trace is a good example of that style. High-rye bourbons like Bulleit bring more spice, which plays well with cherry or pecan smoke. A straight rye works too, if you like your Old Fashioned drier.

Here is my opinion, and I will stand by it: do not smoke the special bottle. Between the sugar, the dilution and the smoke, the nuance you paid for gets buried. A good everyday bourbon makes a better smoked Old Fashioned than an expensive one, because you will actually make it again.

Other Ways to Smoke an Old Fashioned

Method	How it works	What you need
Smoker top (SmokeTop)	Sits on the glass; a torch pushes smoke down through the chips into the glass	Smoker top, butane torch, wood chips
Handheld smoking gun	A battery fan pushes smoke through a hose into a covered glass or container	Smoking gun, a cover, wood chips
Wood plank or board	Char a spot on the wood, then turn the glass upside down over it	Untreated food-safe hardwood plank, torch

How to smoke an Old Fashioned without a smoker

Use a plank. Take an untreated, food-safe hardwood board (oak or cedar), char a small spot with a butane torch until it smokes, and turn your empty rocks glass upside down over it. When the glass is cloudy, flip it, add ice and pour the drink in. Never use pressure-treated or painted wood. It works, but it is less consistent and you are torching a board on your counter, which is the kind of clunky I spent years trying to get away from.

Smoked Old Fashioned Variations

Smoked maple Old Fashioned. Swap the Demerara for pure maple syrup and smoke with maple. Our smoked maple Old Fashioned goes deeper on syrup grades and bourbon.

Rye and pecan. Straight rye, the same build, pecan smoke. Drier and spicier.

Double cherry. Cherry smoke and two brandied cherries instead of one. The sweetest of the bunch.

Maple and bacon. Maple syrup for the sweetener, hickory smoke, and a strip of candied bacon. A cold-weather drink.

Mezcal Old Fashioned. Mezcal brings its own smoke, so go gentle with cherry or apple wood. The smoked mezcal Old Fashioned has the full build.

Mistakes I Made So You Don't Have To

When I first started smoking cocktails I packed the chimney full of chips, figuring more wood meant more flavor. It does not. Too many chips smother the burn and less smoke makes it into the glass. A pinch about the size of a cherry is plenty.

I also used to hold the torch too close from the start. The flame blew chips right out of the chimney. Start about 5 inches up and work down.

A pocket lighter will not do it either. It cannot hold a steady flame on the chips. Get a refillable butane torch, the kind people use for crème brûlée.

What You Need to Get Started

The SmokeTop on its own comes with sample wood chips and 5 replacement mesh screens. The torch is sold separately. The cherry wood body lasts about 500 uses and each screen about 100, and you swap a worn screen by pushing it out from below with a pen. If you are starting from nothing, the SmokeTop Cherry Bundle pairs the smoker with a refillable butane torch and a four-pack of wood chips, with or without butane. Retail orders ship within the contiguous United States.

The original, patented SmokeTop®. Made in the USA, by bartenders, ready for your home bar.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is in a smoked Old Fashioned?

A smoked Old Fashioned uses 2 oz bourbon, 1/4 oz Demerara or simple syrup (or a sugar cube), 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, one large ice cube and an orange peel. It is finished with a quick pass of wood smoke, usually cherry or oak, from a cocktail smoker. The smoke changes the aroma and finish without changing the recipe.

How do you smoke an Old Fashioned at home?

Build and stir the Old Fashioned in a rocks glass, set a cocktail smoker like the SmokeTop on top, and load a small pinch of wood chips. Aim a butane torch down through the chips until the glass fills with thick white smoke, which takes about 5 seconds, then lift the smoker and serve. You can also smoke the empty glass and ice first and pour the drink over it for a stronger smoke flavor.

What is the best wood for a smoked Old Fashioned?

Cherry and oak are the two best woods for a smoked Old Fashioned. Cherry is mild and slightly sweet and ties to the cherry garnish, while oak mirrors the charred barrel the bourbon aged in. Hickory suits high-proof bourbon, pecan suits rye, and apple suits lower-proof, vanilla-forward bourbons.

What is the best bourbon for a smoked Old Fashioned?

A caramel-forward bourbon around 90 to 100 proof, such as Buffalo Trace, is the best fit, because it holds up to stirring and smoke. High-rye bourbons like Bulleit add spice that pairs well with cherry or pecan smoke. Save rare or expensive bottles for sipping neat, since the smoke and sugar cover their nuance.

Should you smoke the glass or the drink?

Both work. Smoking the empty glass and ice first coats them with smoke oils that melt into the drink when you pour, which gives a stronger smoke flavor. Smoking the finished drink puts the smoke on its surface for a lighter effect, and it is the more common method in recipes.

How do you smoke an Old Fashioned without a smoker?

Char a small spot on an untreated, food-safe hardwood plank with a butane torch and turn your empty rocks glass upside down over it until it fills with smoke. Flip the glass, add ice and pour in the drink. Never use pressure-treated or painted wood, and expect less consistent results than a cocktail smoker.

Can you smoke an Old Fashioned with a regular lighter?

No. A pocket lighter cannot hold a steady enough flame to light wood chips cleanly. Use a refillable butane torch, the same kind used for crème brûlée, held about 5 inches above the smoker and lowered to 2 or 3 inches.

What comes in a smoked Old Fashioned kit?

A smoked Old Fashioned kit needs a cocktail smoker, a butane torch and food-grade wood chips. The SmokeTop Cherry Bundle from Middleton Mixology includes the SmokeTop smoker, a refillable butane torch and a four-pack of wood chips, with or without butane. The SmokeTop on its own includes sample chips and 5 replacement screens, with the torch sold separately.