Smoking chips

Apple is the mildest of the four. It gives a light, fruity smoke that dresses up a gin, a white rum or an alcohol-free drink without taking over. Cherry sits just above it: a little fuller and sweeter, lovely with rum, tequila and amaretto. Oak is the wood spirits are matured in, so the smoke slots straight in with whisky, cognac and barrel-aged rum; you taste the vanilla and caramel coming back. Hickory is the heaviest of the four, with an almost savoury note you know from barbecue. It suits bourbon and mezcal, and the snacks you put under the same cloche.

Think about the quantity too. Half a teaspoon of chips is enough for one glass. Any more and the smoke turns sharp and bitter and drowns out the drink. To light it you need a cocktail smoker or a torch, plus a cloche or an upturned glass to catch the smoke.

There are two ways to do it. With the first you smoke the empty glass beforehand: lay the chips on a board, light them and place the glass upside down over the top. After about thirty seconds you turn the glass back over and pour in the drink, so the smoke mixes into the first sips. With the second you pour first, put a cloche over the full glass and blow the smoke underneath. That version is more theatrical and works well at the table.

Smoking works best with drinks that already carry wood or bitterness of their own. An old fashioned with a big block of ice becomes rounder for it, and a negroni picks up a smoky edge that plays off the quinine in the vermouth. For light, fresh drinks, choose a mild wood or skip the smoking altogether.

Wood chips take up moisture, and damp wood smoulders instead of smoking. So keep the chips sealed and dry, not next to the sink. Always work on a heat-resistant surface and let the ash go out completely before you throw it away.

Smoke leaves a film in the glass. Rinse it afterwards with hot water and a glass brush, because a smoke film that stays behind will turn up in the next drink. Don't put smoked glasses back in the cupboard unwashed.

If you're looking for the glass that shows a smoked drink at its best, have a look at the whisky glasses or at the heavier tumblers with a thick base. To work out which drinks lend themselves to smoke, the overview of cocktail recipes gives you a starting point. And for the rest of the kit behind the bar, from shaker to jigger, there's the bar tools page.