This Smoked Old Fashioned Cocktail is a classic, smoky cocktail infused with new sweet and smoky flavors. It’s made with smoked, muddled cherries, smoked cherry simple syrup, Anastoga bitters, and campfire whiskey!

While I do like the subtle smoky flavor notes in a traditional Old Fashioned Cocktail, I wanted to capture and enhance that smoky flavor. Inspired, I decided to take that smoke one step further by smoking a pound of fresh, ripe cherries. 

This cherry-flavored Smoked Old Fashioned Cocktail is filled with rich, musky flavor. The natural warmth of the whiskey pairs seamlessly with the subtle hint of smoke only softened by the sweetness of seasonal cherries. 

What is an Old Fashioned?

An Old Fashioned is a cocktail made by muddling sugar with bitters, then adding whiskey. Generally, it is served with a twist of citrus rind in a short tumbler-like glass.

How Do You Make Smoked Cocktails at Home?

This Smoked Old Fashioned Recipe was inspired by a smoked cocktail I had in a bar in South Dakota, where the bartender smoked the inside of the glass by torching a cedar plank, then capturing the smoke with a liquid-dripped glass for a smooth finish.

Now, although I’m not doing that to achieve the smoky flavor in this cocktail, there are a couple of things I’m doing to make this drink nice and smoky!

First, smoking the cherries. The smoked cherries and the smoked cherry simple syrup add sweetness and smokiness.

Second, using campfire whiskey. The already smoky flavors of whiskey are accentuated by the smoky flavors of a “campfire”!

Ingredients Needed:

Smoked Cherry Simple Syrup

• Alder Wood Chips - smoking the cherries with wood chips gives them more smoky flavor.
• Fresh Cherries - ripe, dark, and sweet fresh cherries are the perfect complement to the smoky flavors. 
• Sugar and Water - dissolved together to form the base for the simple syrup.

For the Cocktails

• Smoked Cherries - you’ll muddle smoke cherries in the bottom of the serving glass.
• Cherry Simple Syrup - your homemade smoked cherry simple syrup is the perfect sweetener. Add as much or as little as you like.
• Booze - a combination of Anastoga Bitters and campfire whiskey is the perfect combination for this Smoked Old Fashioned Cocktail.

How to Make this Smoked Old Fashioned Recipe

First, smoke 1 pound of fresh cherries in a wood smoker with Alder wood chips for 45 minutes to an hour.  

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In a saucepan over low heat, dissolve sugar in water until smooth. Add in ½ cup of smoked cherries and marinate overnight in an airtight container. Strain the syrup, and keep the cherries.

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To make your Smoked Old Fashioned, add a spoonful of smoked cherries to the bottom of your serving glass. Muddle, then add ice, cherry simple syrup, bitters, and whiskey. 

Serve with an orange peel or additional smoked cherries.

Can I Use Another Alchohol?

As I always say, the sky is the limit! BUT, I do highly recommend that you try the recipes as-is before swapping ingredients. You will not regret having this smoking gun of a cocktail in all of its original glory.

Tips and Notes

• Don’t forget the wood chips! The Alder wood chips are the key to making those cherries nice and smoky.
• Marinate the cherries overnight. Let the smoked cherries sit in the sugar/water mixture overnight for the best flavor. 
• Aside from your key ingredients, you’ll need a wood smoker, heat proof gloves or tongs for removing the cherries, something for the cherries to be put on in the smoker, a glass, and large ice cubes. 
• Swap out the classic bitters for homemade black walnut bitters for an even deeper unique taste.

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