Smokestack Lightnin’

​

Flavor Profile: rich, spicy, and smoky   

Ingredients:

2 oz New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon

1/2 oz Tawny Port

1 barspoon Demerara Gum syrup

2 dashes Bitterman’s Xocolatl Mole Bitters

1 dash Pooter bitters 

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass. Stir for approximately 30 seconds. Serve over large ice cube in a large rocks glass.

Garnish: Smoke

My Take:

What better way to honor a great blue singer like Howlin’ Wolf than to create an Old Fashioned riff that echoes the blues he crooned with his heart and soul? New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon is a high quality, affordable whiskey that works wonders in Old Fashioned riffs like Smokestack Lightnin’. At 100 proof, New Riff is stout enough to make a great base spirit for cocktails, and the high rye mashbill gives the drink a little extra spice. Wine finishes are getting more and more popular in bourbon and rye bottlings, but here I opted to let Port play accompaniment to the bourbon all on its own. Tawny Port adds a rich, golden raisin undertone to balance out the spice in the bourbon. I decided to use the very rich Demerara gum syrup here to enhance the richness of the Port instead of just traditional simple syrup which I find a bit thin.

Now on to the star of the show: smoke. While Bitterman’s Xocolatl Mole bitters act as the base seasoning, I also added just a dash of Pooter bitters; their smoky and salty nature play perfectly with the smoke garnish. You can use any wood chip you want, but I found maple to work best. Finally, we have the smoker itself. There are several options on the market for a home cocktail enthusiast to choose from. However, VELEP’s Cocktail Smoking Box is a great option, and is far better made than many cheaper alternatives on the web. You definitely get what you pay for, and I give it my highest recommendation.       

Music Pairing:

Howlin’ Wolf “Wang Dang Doodle” Back Door Man (Chess)

Hands down, this is my favorite Howlin’ Wolf tune. The lyrics are irreverent and fun. Wolf crushes them with the power of a tornado. I can imagine hearing this tune in a seedy, smoke filled, 1960 Chicago blues bar on a late Saturday night. Put on your dancing shoes and romp and stomp till midnight.