About The Owner
James Middleton - Owner/Inventor
James Middleton first conceived the idea to create a cocktail smoker back in 2015, shortly after getting his very first bartending job in Seattle, WA. He was befriended by the president of the bartender’s guild of Washington who gave James a tour of his bar. James noticed how meticulously crafted the bar was and it overwhelmed his senses. However, when one of the bartenders made him a “Smoked Old Fashion”, a huge device, resembling a leaf blower, was used to create the smoky effect. James, loved the drink but hated the presentation. This obnoxious technique conflicted with the classy ambience of the bar and James thought to himself “There has to be a better way.” Thus, SmokeTop was born.
With a background as a firefighter, James was well schooled in the arts of both fire science and smoke behavior. Using these skills, he began smoking his own drinks using the bamboo skewers at his bar. This archaic, yet skillful technique, would send him down the path to creating SmokeTop. He saw immediately the entertainment value of smoking drinks in front of customers and began designing his first prototype. He knew he had to create a product of charm and elegance worthy of the drinks themselves.
James’ goal was always to own his own bar one day so he traveled the world and learned many international bartending techniques, giving him a unique perspective on the craft and artistry of bartending. He used these last 5 years to hone and perfect his prototypes, ultimately leading to SmokeTop. His dream was always to create artistic products, envisioned and crafted by bartenders, for bartenders. James vowed to only create products, he himself, would use. SmokeTop is the first.
