Editor’s Note: This accessory was provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review.
With the vast array of smoking kits on the market, it has never been easier to make smoked cocktails at home. A few friends got together in North Kansas City to create one such smoking kit. Aged & Charred has five smoking kits available including a smoking barrel. At The Whiskey Wash, we received the Smoke Top Lid Kit, which includes an oak cocktail smoker top, screens, wood chips, torch, and butane. This version of the kit retails for $99.99.
For the price, I was expecting the packaging to be more than a cardboard box, especially when other smoking kits come with better storage options. The contents are tightly packed, and it is nice that the butane is included, but there is no room to add extra wood chip packs or multiple smoking tops. If you’re looking to upcycle your wooden whiskey boxes, you can store the Smoke Top Lid Kit in one of them. Otherwise, you’ll have to upgrade to the Smoke Lid Premium Kit for $139.99.
The smoking kit is quite simple to use right out of the box. After filling my torch, which is beautiful and sleek in gun-metal, I grabbed a rocks glass. The oak smoker, which has a thimble-like screen for woodchips, looks like a flying saucer with its tapered base. The oak chips that come standard in the kit are tiny and a little goes a long way.
It only takes a few seconds to light the wood chips before placing the smoker cover. The smoke did seep out between the glass and the wood smoker, but eventually, it stopped. The way the smoke just hovers thick above the liquid amazes me. I let the smoking top stay on for a few minutes before taking a sip to ensure a deep smokey flavor. Taking the topper off, the smoke just lingers in the glass.
The smell of the oak chips is lovely as it wafts into the air, however, if the smoke is not cleared as you take a sip you might inhale it. Aged & Charred does have wood chip bundles of four for $23.99. The Fruit four-pack includes pear, cherry, peach, and apple woodchips. The Bold four-pack includes hickory, pecan, mesquite, and oak. The Variety four-pack includes hickory, apple, cherry, and oak.
I was worried the 100 percent oak smoke lid would burn with the torch. However, it only got a little singed from the heat of the wood chip screen. To keep the screens clean, Aged & Charred provides a cleaning brush, and if the residue is a little sticky the screens can be soaked in rubbing alcohol. Since I only have oak chips, I just keep the used chips in the smoke lid when storing the kit.
I highly recommend the Aged & Charred Smoke Top Lid Kit. The tapered smoking sauce fits everything from a Glencairn to a mixing glass. I personally love the fact that I can place it on a shaker tin and build the smoke as I use the other tin to add my ingredients before shaking them together. The ease of use for this smoking kit is probably the best.
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