You’ve seen our bartenders make it.
It smells like a “campfire in a cup.” Delicious scents of caramel, vanilla, and maple flood your nostrils.
Oh yes – it’s Tricky Fish’s Famous Smoked Old Fashioned!
At Tricky Fish, we love us some whiskey. In fact, serve it up on ice, in a Manhattan, or in an Old Fashioned – it’s hard to go wrong. The Old Fashioned at Tricky Fish – your home for great cocktails and craft beer in Richardson - is super popular, and this time of year, guests love ordering the Smoked Old Fashioned. Head to our restaurant and order the Old Fashioned or a craft beer in Richardson today, or if you’d like to try your hand at one at home, here are a few bartender secrets on how to do it:
Step 1: Grab a Stick of Maple & Burn
The first step to getting the perfect Smoked Old Fashioned is to start with the right wood. You can use a variety of woods, but our favorite is maple because it lends a sweetness to the finished product. Use a culinary torch and gently torch the maple chunk, allowing it to slowly blacken and char, releasing smoke as you go.
Step 2: Capture the Smoke
Once the wood is smoking adequately, use a large mason jar and put it over the wood block to capture the smoke. This sounds hard but you can do it! We promise it’s easier than it sounds.
Step 3: Start Preparing the Old Fashioned
Now that you have your smoke ready to go, it’s time to start preparing your drink. Grab a low ball and zest some orange into the bottom of the glass. Next, add 2 oz. of the whiskey of your choice (we like TX whiskey or Woodford), just a touch of simple syrup (we would say around ¼ oz.), and 3 dashes of bitters. Lightly stir it all up and you’re well on your way to the perfect Smoked Old Fashioned!
Step 4: Strain and Mix
Now comes the fun part! Use a strainer to strain your drink – removing the chunks of zest from your cocktail – then pour into the jar with the maple smoke. Pop a lid on the mason jar and gently swirl the jar, watching the smoke infuse into the drink. Maybe it’s just us, but there is something tranquil and soothing about watching the smoke rise and mix. Plus – it just looks cool! We recommend doing this for at least 10 seconds. You can do it longer if you want that drink extra smokey in flavor.
Step 5: Pour and Enjoy!
Lastly, pour your finished drink out of the mason jar and into a glass with ice. Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry, and you have a beautiful, delicious Smoked Old Fashioned ready to sip and enjoy. It’s great with dinner or during happy hour.
Watch this video for more info from our Waterside location on how to do it!