In this episode, the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure sample a couple of smoke inspired cocktails.

First up is a terrific drink from Grant Sceney of the Fairmont Pacific Rim’s Lobby Lounge  called Embers at Dawn. (Which Jason keeps calling Embers Before Dawn.  C’mon Jason.  Get it together!)  Grant is from Australia but he has made Vancouver his home for the last few years.  You can read a great article about him in BC Liquor's Taste Magazine right here!  Embers at Dawn is a tasty combination of bourbon, apple juice ginger and honey all served up in a maple smoked glass.  I know it sounds complicated, but it’s super easy and will impress the hell out of family and friends when you make it for them at home. 

Embers at Dawn
Grant Sceney, Fairmont Pacific Rim Lobby Lounge

6 maple wood chips
2 ounces Bulleit Bourbon (4 tbsp or 60 ml)
1 ounce fresh pressed BC apple juice (2 tbsp or 30 ml)
2 ginger ‘coins’
2 tsp (10 ml) honey syrup  (equal amounts honey and water heated. Store in the fridge)
2 dashes Bittered Slings’s Kensington Dry bitters (or Angostura)
Apple slice for garnish
Cinnamon, freshly grated for garnish (or a sprinkle of ground cinnamon)

Place maple wood chips on a clean metal cooking pan. Use a cooking torch to burn chips (or a lighter or matches.  Whatever will make them smoke).  Place a rocks glass upside down over the chips to catch the smoke.  Build the remaining ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake like hell.  You want to chill the drink but also smash up those sliced ginger ‘coins’ a bit.  Turn the glass over and place a large ice cube in it.  Double strain (to catch the smashed ginger) into the glass and garnish with apple slice and grated cinnamon.

See?  Super easy.  It’s just like making a regular drink, except you have to trap some smoke off a coupla smouldering wood chips.  Check out the menu for the Lobby Lounge here, and make sure you pop in for their seasonal offerings.

Next up, we trade coasts and find oursevles once again in New York City.  Greenwich Village to be exact and the exceptional bar called The Up and Up.  Click on their name for a link to their historic space and menu.  The smoke inspired drink from them is called  Shaddock & Smoke and was created by Chaim Dauermann.  Fred had this drink when we were there and was lucky enough to find it reprinted in New York Magazine.  Make it immediately.  It is soooo good!

Shaddock & Smoke
Chaim Dauermann, the Up and Up in New York City (reprinted from nymag.com)

1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce Amaretto
1 ounce Pompelmocello (Grapefruit limoncello)
1 1/4 ounce Ardbeg Scotch

Seltzer and a grapefruit peel for garnish

Shake the first four ingredients with ice then strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass.  Top with a splash of seltzer and garnish with a grapefruit peel.

The Up and Up makes their own in house Pompelmocello (listen to the podcast) or you might be able to find Stellacello Pompelmo Liqueur.  We used Giffard’s Grapefruit Liqueur.

That’s it folks! Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em!  See you next time.

Happy New Year!  Caught in a deep freeze, the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure start the year off right with a couple of  cocktails to warm the cockles of your hearts!
 
First up is Dave with a fantastic winter warm up called the Gin Twist.  Dating from the early 1800’s, this is a tasty treat that will have you saying “NeoCitran?  Who’s NeoCitran?” the next time you have a cold!  Try it out immediately.
 
Gin Twist
 
1 1/2 shot - Dry gin (We used Bombay Sapphire)
3/4 shot - Fresh lemon juice
1/2 shot - Sugar syrup
 
Add ingredients to a pre-warmed glass, top up with hot water to your desired amount, mix and enjoy. 
 
After that, it was a return to David Wondrich’s book “Imbibe” for a classic Jerry Thomas Hot Toddy.  This is one of those drinks where you get to choose the liquor.  Mr. Wondrich said that Red Breast Irish Whiskey was wonderful here, so that’s what we used.
 
Hot Toddy
 
1 tsp sugar
3-4 oz hot water
2 oz spirits  (We used Redbreast Irish Whiskey)

Put the sugar in a glass, add ½ the hot water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Then add the spirits followed by the rest of the water.  Stir with a spoon.

There are countless Toddy recipes out there but this was the first one in print.  Feel free to mix and match!

​Keep warm!