Favorite Whiskey?

Damn, now that's something I may have overlooked, thanks!

Right now we plan on being there in mid-June, just a few weeks after Feis Isle.

 

Lol I was born in 94... It's weird to me that 2005 is 15 years ago... Time has flown these 26 years...

 

Yeah, I'll say "a couple of years ago" and I'll mean 2005, lol.

 

Thanks! It's a '67.

 

How great is that?!?!?

I've only had one Boss Hog and it was a couple of editions ago - The Black Prince. Simply the best rye whiskey I've ever had.

 

I made an old fashion on Saturday night with my High West Double Rye that is finished in blended malt scotch barrels...it was the best damned Old Fashion I've ever made. The subtle smokiness from the finishing barrels crept in just a little and added a great nuance.


Because of that, I got the wild hair to make something to start smoking cocktails. I'm sure folks have seen bars that will put some mesquite/pecan/apple/etc. smoke in to the cocktail glass prior to pouring the cocktail. It is a novel concept that tastes good when done in appropriate moderation.

I took a Booker's box, some copper tubing (and fittings), a little 6v battery pack, some hose, and a little vacuum pump, then got to constructing.





It "works", just not as well as I'd like. I think I need more flow out of the pump than what I'm getting. I won't change that out until I build the bowl for smoking the wood chips. The idea will be for it to be a small bowl with a mesh bottom and some tubing terminating in to a barb at the bottom of it so that the intake side of the motor is drawing directly below the wood chips. I'm hoping that draw keeps the wood burning. There are ready-made food/cocktail smokers that work on this same premise. I could have bought one of those and jammed it in to a hole in the Booker's box, but those that know me best know that I'm not much for off-the-shelf solutions. Check out my (BBQ) smoker build thread in my signature for further evidence . I'll get this thing right and then get to tidying it all up. I need to add a switch, a motor controller (to control flow level), and then get everything encased/mounted cleanly. Might make the switch turn on some little lights or something, too . Once that's done, it'll be on to smoked cocktails!

 

I guess building that big-ass smoker isn't keeping you busy enough?!

 

With this setup and stuff not being all food grade so you need to worry any contaminates being in there and affecting it?

 

Although it's not a fancy contraption with all the bells and whistles, which I greatly admire btw, but smoked ice cubes are far easier.

I'll admit, having a fancy homemade contraption to break the surface tension of the water has crossed my mind more than once but I've never put any more than thought into it.

I hope that you get your device squared away and it satisfies you! Don't forget that smoked salt on the rim of something like a margarita glass goes a long ways in layers of flavors too!

 

I worked on the cocktail smoker on Saturday, then went out to work on the BBQ smoker on Sunday .

Maybe? Probably? I don't know. It's for personal use, so I'm not too concerned about it. I won't be making and selling these things. Once built, I'll thoroughly clean everything out, then call it good.

When I am providing to the public, I'm meticulous about stuff like this and ensure there are no safety concerns or potential contaminants. When it's for private use, I'm a little more flexible .

 

I would be more stringent when it’s my butt on the line.

Most of it can probably be solved with some boiling water. The pump just make sure it’s not introducing oils and stuff into the loop. Heck with help don’t want you throwing away good whiskey.

 

I think you are absolutely correct.

I do smoked ice for my big-ass, over-the-top, Texas' best Bloody Mary bar at my house every Thanksgiving. I love them in the Bloody Marys. My problem is that I can't just do simple smoked ice. I have to make a huge ice mold (like big mixing bowl size), melt it in the smoker, capture the water, then re-freeze. Necessary? Not at all, but I like the story. The way I do it isn't easier than this little device.

Ice takes up freezer space, too, and I only have as much as I have on hand.

I like the pomp and circumstance of this. Hell, I don't drink cocktails that often, so I don't even have a need for it, really. I just tinker all the time. Copper isn't cheap, I have to buy at least one more motor to get a better flow rate, plus the fittings, then the switch, controller, etc. This thing will cost much more than it is worth - unless you enjoy the build.

I love me some smoked salt, too. It's in all the rubs we make .

This little pump is designed for use in aquariums. If it's good for Nemo, it's good for me.

The use will be to set an empty low-ball glass in there, pump in a little smoke, remove it and put the cocktail in. Mostly show, but a little hint of smoke .

 

You thought about actually putting the smoke into the alcohol itself? Like put the alcohol in the glass slide that into there and have the smoked pumped into the middle of the liquid?

 

Once I get this thing going, I'll add a silicone hose to the output side and give that a whirl. Might actually work pretty well!

Everything with this setup functions, I just couldn't draw much smoke due to the flow rate. That and I hadn't designed anything to reliably produce smoke.

 

Could make a mini pellet pooper fire pot. Give me soMe time I will over engineer the hell out of this.

 

I've thought about adding a push-button igniter. It all needs to be momentary/on-demand rather than a continuous smoke.

I'll have a $500 one-glass-at-a-time cocktail smoker before this is all said and done.

 

I will need on of these mounted to my big pit please

 

No sir you have multiple bookers boxes and we can get a bigger pump and multiple food grade rubber hoses so it can be MULTIPLE glasses.

Could make a tube that holds pellets. Push the button a single pellet pops into the tray, igniter comes on and produces smoke. Then when it’s off a hole in the side is sealed which cuts off the air and kills the fire in the pot.

 

We'll iron out the details on mine, then build you one. I have like 25 more boxes.

You absolutely need one on your pit!

 

I think this is about to happen.