Smokehouse Old Fashioned (Bourbon) - (21+)

Smokehouse Old Fashioned

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By the Fire

An Old Fashioned is steady as they come. Bourbon, bitters, sugar, orange — it’s the kind of drink that feels like a strong handshake and never goes out of style. But when you spend your life by the fire, you learn that a single curl of oak smoke can take “steady” and make it unforgettable.

I’m not talking about drowning it in campfire. Just enough smoke to rest in the glass, greet your nose, and let your tongue know it’s in for something special. That’s the Smokehouse Old Fashioned — simple, classic, but kissed by the pit.

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Ingredients

• 2 oz bourbon

• ½ oz simple syrup (brown sugar preferred)

• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

• Orange peel

• Large ice cube

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PitMaster’s Way

Step 1 — Smoke the Glass

Set a small chip of oak smoldering and trap the smoke in your empty glass. Don’t flood it — think of it as seasoning the drink before it’s even poured.

Step 2 — Stir it Steady

In a mixing glass, stir bourbon, syrup, and bitters over ice. Take your time. Stirring isn’t rushing; it’s letting the flavors settle like good friends swapping stories.

Step 3 — Pour with Confidence

Strain into your smoked glass over a big cube. Add the orange peel garnish. Lift slow, breathe deep, sip steady.

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Hosting Notes

✦ For flair: Smoke the glass table-side. Folks lean in before the first sip.

✦ For garnish: One smoked cherry on a pick makes it look dressed without feeling fussy.

✦ For elevation: Use a higher-proof bourbon — the backbone stands tall against the smoke.

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Pitmaster’s Pour

For the pour that tells the whole brisket story, fat-wash your bourbon with smoked drippings. Skim the fat, strain warm, freeze overnight, strain again. The result is bourbon that carries beef, spice, and smoke straight from the pit. Pour that into your Old Fashioned and you won’t just taste a drink — you’ll taste the cook itself.

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From the Porch

This Old Fashioned belongs to the late hours, when the pit’s gone quiet but the coals are still glowing under the grate. Friends lean back in their chairs, the table’s littered with rib bones and stories half-finished, and the night air carries that slow warmth only oak can give off. The smoke in the glass matches the smoke in the air, tying the evening together one sip at a time.

 

These recipes are intended for adults of legal drinking age (21+ in the United States; please follow the laws in your region). Fire up the grill, not the driver’s seat. Stoking the Coals encourages moderation, community, and safe enjoyment of food and drink. Please never drink and drive, and always respect your health, your guests, and the law.