Delicious Smokey Old Fashioned: TUL’s Leather-Bound Book

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Does the idea of a smokey Old Fashioned with a hint of chocolate and salt sound delicious to you? You’ll devour our Leather-Bound Book literary cocktail designed specifically for The Uncorked Librarian readers.

Smokey Old Fashioned Leather Bound Book with brown Old Fashioned, whiskey ball, leather book and green plantPin
If you love the idea of a smoked Old Fashioned that is simple to make with less than 4 ingredients, you’ll champion our Leather-Bound Book literary-inspired cocktail.

One of our favorite cocktails to drink at The Uncorked Librarian is an Old Fashioned. Old Fashioneds are pretty versatile, and even just a change in bitters or zesty rub can quickly and easily alter their flavor.

We teamed up with our Asheville, NC partners — Cultivated Cocktails and Sarah Resta Photography — to create one delicious smokey Old Fashioned recipe. The vanilla and smokey salted bitters and sugar cubes give this Old Fashioned a mild chocolate flavor without too much sweetness.

Plus, there are no fancy or time-consuming smoking techniques here. Use four simple ingredients and uncover lots of flavors.

So, grab a book, light up the fireplace, and grab your rocks glasses. Learn how to make this smoked Old Fashioned cocktail recipe for book lovers and The Uncorked Librarian readers. Let’s get started!

Why A Smokey Old Fashioned?

Somewhere into my 30s, I became a more sophisticated drinker — or so I think… Whiskey, gin, bourbon. Bring it on! Truly, Old Fashioned cocktails became the new black. I usually drink an Old Fashioned at least once a week, and our trip to Ireland’s distilleries helped feed the addiction.

Smokey Old Fashioned Leather Bound Book with Old Fashioned, whiskey cube, Cultivated Cocktails whiskey, Crude salted and smoke bitters, and smoked sugar cubesPin
One of our favorite drinks at The Uncorked Librarian, we hope you enjoy this twist on a smokey Old Fashioned. Shake up this cocktail and grab a book for the perfect night in by the fireplace. Photo by Sarah Resta Photography.

Plus, Old Fashioneds are a solid classic cocktail known for being made with whiskey, Angostura bitters, and a giant lump of ice. Pretty simple, right?

I love nothing more than a chocolatey Old Fashioned with a hint of deep smoke paired with a smooth whiskey, which is what we are bringing to our Leather-Bound Book recipe.

What Cocktail Tools Will You Need For This Smoked Old Fashioned Cocktail?

Here at TUL, we always try to keep our cocktail recipes pretty easy and simple. A few typical home bar supplies you will need include:

Cocktail Mixing Glass

Typically, we use a classic shaker with our cocktails. This time, though, we are mixing it up — literally — with a glass cocktail mixing glass. You can also grab an entire glass cocktail mixing kit with a jigger, spoon, muddler, and strainer here.

Double Jigger

double jigger is fantastic for measuring spirits and add-ins. We prefer jiggers that have the incremented measurements notched inside.

How to make a smokey old fashioned cocktail picture with woman in pink shirt pouring a strained smoked old fashioned into an old fashioned low ball glass with a whiskey ballPin
Unlike many of our other drinks, for our smokey Old Fashioned recipe, we used a glass cocktail mixing jar. You’ll also want to have handy a strainer, bar spoon, rocks glass, and whiskey ball. Photo by Sarah Resta Photography.

Bar Spoon

A long bar spoon will help you both measure and stir your ingredients. If you don’t have a fancy bar spoon, just use one teaspoon instead.

Whiskey Stones

Whiskey stones are perfect to chill your drink without watering it down. You store them in the fridge, and the best part is that they are reusable.

Rocks Glasses

I always think that a drink tastes better when it sits in a sleek glass. We drink our Old Fashioneds in rocks glasses.

What Ingredients Do You Need For Our Smokey Old Fashioned Recipe?

Ingredients Smokey Old Fashioned Recipe including Cascara Vanilla, Cultivated Cocktails whiskey, smoked sugar cubes, and Crude salted and smoked bitttersPin
You will only need 4 main ingredients for this book lovers smoked Old Fashioned: Vanilla, whiskey, smoked sugar cubes, and salted & smoked bitters. Photo by Sarah Resta Photography.

Our Smoked Old Fashioned requires few ingredients:

  • 2 oz Steel Horse Whiskey
  • 0.25 oz Cascara Vanilla or Vanilla Extract
  • 1-2 Drops of Crude Pooter Bitters (Smoked & Salted Bitters)
  • 1 Smoked Sugar Cube (We used sugar cubes from Yes Cocktail Co.)
  • 1/4 Cup Ice

How Do You Make Our Leather-Bound Book?

Mixing up this drink takes less than 5-minutes.

How To Make A Smokey Old Fashioned Cocktail with woman in pink shirt dropping bitters into a cocktail mixing glass with ice cubes and whiskeyPin
Instead of a shaker, grab a cocktail mixing glass. Combine all of the ingredients, muddle the sugar cube, lightly mix or shake your drink, and strain into a rocks glass.

Combine the whiskey, Cascara/Vanilla mixture, and bitters into a shaker. Muddle with the smoked sugar cube. Fill 1/4 of the glass with ice. Shake or stir for 30-seconds. Strain the liquid into a glass.

Leather Bound Book Smoked Old Fashioned Recipe with book, green plant, and brown Old Fashioned cockttail

Leather-Bound Book Smokey Old Fashioned

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

You'll love this chocolatey smoked Old Fashioned for book lovers. Made with four simple ingredients, we hope you enjoy our bookish take on this classic cocktail recipe.

Ingredients

  • 2 oz Steel Horse Whiskey
  • 0.25 oz Cascara Vanilla Or Vanilla Extract For Coffee/Cocktails
  • 1-2 Drops Crude 'Pooter' Bitters (Smoke & Salt Bitters)
  • 1 Smoked Sugar Cube
  • 1/4 cup Ice

Instructions

    1. Combine the whiskey, Cascara/vanilla mix, and bitters into a cocktail mixing glass.

    2. Muddle with the smoked sugar cube.

    3. Fill 1/4 of the glass with ice.

    4. Shake or stir for 30-seconds.

    5. Strain the liquid into a rocks glass over a whiskey cube.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 417Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 9mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 0gSugar: 16gProtein: 0g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share your cocktail creation on social media tagging @theuncorkedlibrarian.

Let Us Know What You Think Of This Smokey Old Fashioned Recipe

Did you try making our smoked Old Fashioned? What did you think? Did you add or change any ingredients?


Please let us know what you think in the comments and tag @ theuncorkedlibrarian and @ cultivatedcocktailsdistillery on Instagram with your pictures.

Leather Bound Book Smoked Old Fashioned Recipe Pinterest Pin with brown old fashioned, bitters, and whiskeyPin
Afraid you’ll forget our smokey Old Fashioned recipe? Save this post for later on Pinterest.

Literary Cocktails You May Also Love:

Shades & The Giant Peach
Where The Crawdads Smash
All Of TUL’s Literary Cocktails
Holiday Cheerwine Punch

More About The Creator Of This Smoked Old Fashioned Recipe, Cultivated Cocktails

Cultivated Cocktails is a family-owned distillery in Asheville, North Carolina. Every year, they produce award-winning spirits. You can visit their downtown store to pick up gin, vodka, rum, or whiskey and fun cocktail-making supplies while sipping on one of their new creations.

A Special Thank You To Sarah Resta Photography

The pictures featured in this post are from our partner, Sarah Resta Photography. Sarah Resta is both a local and international engagement and wedding photographer available for hire. Sarah also works with small businesses and bloggers, like The Uncorked Librarian & Uncorked Asheville. You can find Sarah on Facebook and Instagram. Email: [email protected]

Christine Owner The Uncorked Librarian LLC with white brunette female in pink dress sitting in chair with glass of white wine and open bookPin

Christine Frascarelli

Christine (she/her) is the owner, lead editor, and tipsy book sommelier of The Uncorked Librarian LLC, an online literary publication showcasing books and movies to inspire travel and home to the famed Uncorked Reading Challenge. With a BA in English & History from Smith College, an MLIS from USF-Tampa, and a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship in Christine's back pocket, there isn't a bookstore, library, or winery that can hide from her. Christine loves brewery yoga, adopting all of the kitties, and a glass of oaked Chardonnay. Charcuterie is her favorite food group.

10 Comments

  1. I’ve actually never had an old fashioned! Crazy I know. But I’ve been planning on remedying that real soon. I actually did a Twitter ask to find out everyone’s go-to cocktail to decide on my romcom character’s go-to. An old fashioned came up a few times so for now it’s my character’s go-to, however I plan on tasting a bunch of the suggestions before finalizing her go-to. Fun research!
    I like that this one has chocolate. Sounds yummy!!

    1. I think I missed that Twitter question – dang it! I can’t wait to see what cocktail you pick for your rom-com character. If you need any help with that “research,” please let me know! ; )

    1. I like the hint of chocolate in this smoky Old Fashioned, even though vanilla is the real ingredient. I hope that your husband enjoys it! Old Fashioneds are my favorite.

  2. I’ll finally be legal next month, and though I don’t know how exactly I’m going to ease into that, I think this is something I’ll be able to enjoy in the future! It sounds so yummy–that cascara/vanilla, omg–and definitely oh-so-perfect for this time of year 🙂

  3. Old fashioned’s are my jam! But I think I’d try this with a bourbon. I personally am not a whiskey fan, at all. Still though, I love the sound of the hint of vanilla and chocolate. Omg. Yes.

    Whenever we go out to eat and they have classic cocktails on the menu like Old Fashion’s and Manhatthan’s, I always have to have one. It became my favorite in my 30’s and also how I learned that I really like Bourbon. Whiskey I never was able to get a taste for… hubby used to love whiskey.

    Wonderful cocktail!

    1. Mine too! Old Fashioneds are seriously my favorite. We actually make quite a few with bourbon, too. I have a special recipe that I want to post that’s a take on an Old Fashioned with bourbon and chocolate…I’ll have to create it soon for TUL. Bourbon is a lot smoother for me, but my whiskey love started with Teeling in Ireland.

      Manhattan’s are another classic that I cannot say no to. And I totally agree: this change happened in my 30s. We got more sophisticated. Lol

      Thanks!

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