Crowd favorites: 3 signature cocktail recipes you can make at home

The smoked old fashioned at Brickstones Kitchen & Bar at Embassy Suites by Hilton Washington DC Convention Center is a guest favorite, and for good reason. With rich bourbon, a hint of sweetness, and a dramatic flourish of smoke, it’s the kind of concoction that turns an ordinary evening into something memorable. Yes, you’ll need a cocktail smoking kit to recreate this masterful take on a classic, but trust us, it’s worth it.

Ingredients for one cocktail:

- 2 ounces bourbon

- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup

- 3 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

- Ice for mixing

- 1 large ice cube for serving

- 1 orange

- 1 brandied cherry

- 1 cocktail smoker kit that includes a smoker, flavored wood chips, and a torch

Preparation:

Fill cocktail smoker with 2 pinches of your choice of flavored wood chips and set aside.

Pour 2 ounces of bourbon into mixing glass. Add 2 teaspoons of pure maple syrup followed by 3 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters.

Add ice to the mixing glass and stir with the bar spoon for 15-20 seconds.

Strain over a large ice cube in a bourbon glass.

Peel an orange over the drink allowing the zest of the orange to spray over the drink. Take that orange peel and snap it over the drink, releasing the oil of the orange. Swirl it over the rim of the glass and then drop it into the glass.

Place the brandied cherry in the cocktail for garnish.

Grab the smoker filled with flavored wood chips and place it on top of the bourbon glass.

Burn the wood chip using a torch, holding the flame 2-3 inches above the wood until smoke enters the glass. Smoke it for about 5-8 seconds. Place the lid to the smoker over the glass for a couple of seconds allowing the smoke to infuse the drink.

Remove the smoker and enjoy!

Recipe from bartender Brigitte Laos, Embassy Suites by Hilton Washington DC Convention Center, 2022