Cloud Nine

Enjoying a smoked cocktail begins with the spectacle of smoke pouring out of the glass and the aroma enveloping you. Taking the first sip unites the smoky aromas with the flavors of oak, maple, apple and sometimes pear smoked into the cocktail. The flavors evoke the warmth of a bonfire or a fireplace, to be enjoyed as temperatures begin to descend with the autumn season. Smoked cocktails are a sensory experience that pairs well with sweaters; they are a delicious way to warm up and honor the season.

At Common Spirits in downtown Goshen, Indiana, creating one-of-a-kind cocktails is a craft for owners Jami and Ryan Hawkins. Guests are treated to a menu with seasonal offerings and a friendly delivery. Adding smoked drinks to their menu was a way to expand on their already unique offerings.

“If you make one smoked cocktail, everyone can see and smell the smoke, and people begin to ask how they can get their own,” says Jami. “It makes people excited about what we are making. They want to know more.”

Smoked cocktails were added to Common Spirits’ menu first as a part of the Bartender’s Choice option, giving the Hawkinses a way to surprise guests with something different and mysterious. “Sipping liquor” such as bourbon, rye and mezcal were some of the intuitive offerings for creating smoked cocktails, but the establishment’s bartenders began playing with the flavors and found how versatile smoking a drink can be. Classic cocktails such as the Old Fashioned, Sazerac, Manhattan and even Margarita can have their flavors elevated and changed with smoke. Jami has even noticed that bourbon drinkers are willing to explore high-end rums, which she said take on the smoke in a pleasant way.

“We try to take a chance and smoke drinks differently. We’ve been pleasantly surprised with that,” Jami says. “Cocktails that are more refreshing, not just sipping alcohol, can gain a different layer of dynamic that was not there before.”

At Common Spirits, the Hawkinses typically use a smoking gun device, which can be purchased online. The choice of wood will impart different flavors and aromas to the drink.  Sweeter woods, like pear and apple, tend to shorten the life of a smoking gun, clogging it more quickly.

Jami recommends using a smoking gun for a fun effect when serving guests at home: Pre-batch cocktails in fliptop glass jars or bottles and add smoke right before serving, allowing guests to experience the release of the smoke and the flavor it infuses.

Common Spirits celebrated its seventh anniversary in June. Sitting at the bar allows patrons to see many types of drinks and learn about them as they are crafted and delivered, but there are also booths to enjoy more intimate conversations with friends and family. The bar offers a food menu along with its cocktails, featuring seasonal rotations including tacos, salads, wings and more.

As the holiday season approaches, cocktail offerings will shift. A National Parks-themed cocktail program is available through the beginning of the fall season before the energy shifts to a Spooky Spirits offering. Smoked cocktails can be ordered anytime.

“If someone wants a straight up Old Fashioned, we can smoke the cocktail in the glass and still provide an interactive experience,” Jami says. “It’s a whole enhanced experience with the cocktail.”

Common Spirits

111 E. Lincoln Ave.

Goshen, IN

574.312.7343 

commonspirits.com

Christina Clark is a writer based in South Bend, Indiana. She loves to explore northern Indiana and southwest Michigan, finding unique food and drink offerings and live music, and visiting the lakeshore and seasonal festivals. When she isn’t searching for hidden gems, she can be found at home surrounded by her typewriter collection, in a midcentury chair, reading a good book with her corgi-mix sidekick, Rizzo.