Name: Smokestack Lightning
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 52.5 ml Reposado tequila; 7.5 ml Peated malt whisky; 15 ml Agave syrup; 22.5 ml Lime juice; 4 drop Margarita Bitters

Smokestack Lightning
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Photographed in an Urban Bar Alto Coupe 18cl

Ingredients:
1 ³⁄₄ oz	Patrón Reposado tequila
¹⁄₄ oz	Torabhaig Peated Single Malt Whisky
¹⁄₂ oz	Agave syrup
³⁄₄ oz	Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
4 drop	Difford's Margarita Bitters optional

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select and pre-chill a Coupe glass.
Prepare garnish of lime wedge.
SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
Garnish with lime wedge.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Smokestack Lightning lifestyle thumbnail

Review:

Margarita-like with a wisp of peaty smoke.

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History:

Created in 2009 by yours truly for The Cocktail Hour at Tales of the Cocktail that year.

More cocktails by Simon Difford

Nutrition:

One serving of Smokestack Lightning contains 180 calories

Alcohol content:

1.3 standard drinks
18.44% alc./vol. (18.44° proof)
18 grams of pure alcohol

More Aperitivo/aperitif cocktails
More Sours (citrus) cocktails

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 10 of 12 comments for Smokestack Lightning.
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Ruth Harvey

8th March at 19:45

I used Ardbeg. I asked Me H. if he could guess what I had used - I thought he might say Mezcal but he got it right..and proclaimed this to be "more than excellent!" Full marks all round Mr Difford.

Ian Philips

8th March at 14:29

Delicious. I used quality maple syrup instead of agave as it's all I had (we're Canadian), and it was a hit. Maybe a touch sweet, but honestly I drank it back quick and wanted more. Love the name too!

Carl Potts

21st February at 09:26

Sounds lovely. Nit-picking: You have said "with like a wisp of Islay smoke" yet you use Torabhaig. Torabhaig is an Isle Of Skye whisky, not Islay.

Simon Difford

22nd February at 13:34

Thanks. I originally made using an Islay whisky, but when I changed the whisky, I didn't think to amend the comment. Now corrected.

Simon Sedgley

14th June 2024 at 05:21

We go with Lagavulin. The Agave measure is spot on for us. Another beautifully poised cocktail...perhaps you're a Libran Simon.

Gillian Craib

28th February 2024 at 14:58

I upped the whisky to 10ml; much preferred it.

Chris Brislawn

17th May 2023 at 17:42

We don't always like drinks quite as sweet as Simon does, and I like to rely on the sweetness from the liqueurs, fortified wines and fruit juices present in most cocktails. For this drink I replaced the agave with dry curacao, which made it even more margarita-like. I sometimes replace 25% of the tequila in margaritas with a smoky mezcal, and this is a nice variation using scotch (I used Compass Box Peat Monster). Interesting contrast to my Roberto Roy cocktail. Great cocktail name, too!

Anna Thompson

7th May 2023 at 18:06

Gorgeous. I didn’t have peated whisky so used 2 drops of smoke flavouring. Dialled down the line a little too, but that’s my personal preference.

Mateusz Bączyński

13th May 2022 at 20:20

I used Ardbeg Uigeadail and El Jimador Reposado. It was extra delicious. Definitely to make over and over again. All I love: tequila and Islay whisky!