You can bring new flavour and tang to any drink with the addition of smoked ice cubes. Whole ice cubes are smoked until they melt - the smoke particles adhere to ice better than water alone - then the flavourful liquid is refrozen to create smoky cubes. This Smoked gin and tonic is a good place to start, or try them in a superlative bloody Mary. They add interest to a huge variety of flavours, so feel free to experiment!
You will need:
Cold-smoking device (I used the ProQ Cold Smoke Generator)
Cold-smoking sawdust (I used maple)
Water, as needed
1
Freeze as much ice as you want to smoke
2
Set up the cold-smoker. Mine is a small metal unit that you sit on a baking tray and top with a raised cooling rack. You put the items to be smoked on top and place the whole lot inside a container to trap the cool smoke. I have had success with a variety of containers – from a small, lidded barbecue to a plain old cardboard box. I
usually use what is to hand and don’t keep anything special for smoking. I tend to smoke things indoors, with the smoker by a window or an open door that leads
outside. The smoker doesn’t generate much smoke, as it has to stay cool, but it will make the room smell a little smoky
3
Arrange the ice you have previously frozen in a low-sided container that is large enough to fit inside your smoking container and hold all the water when the ice melts. A low-sided container is best for allowing the smoke to reach the ice. Smoke the ice until it all melts, about 90 minutes
4
During smoking, go back and check intermittently to make sure that the smoker is still alight. Dripping moisture has extinguished the dust for me before
5
Refreeze the melted water into ice cubes and use as needed. To make a drink taste smoky, you will need about 5 ice cubes
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