Name: When The Smoke Cleared
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 45 ml Mezcal; 15 ml Orange-red aperitivo; 7.5 ml Ginger syrup; 22.5 ml Lime juice; 22.5 ml Pineapple juice; 2 drop Saline solution 4:1

When The Smoke Cleared
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Glass:

Serve in a Coupe glass

Ingredients:
1 ¹⁄₂ fl oz	Del Maguey Vida Clásico Mezcal
¹⁄₂ fl oz	Bittersweet orange-red aperitivo
¹⁄₄ fl oz	Monin Ginger Syrup
³⁄₄ fl oz	Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
³⁄₄ fl oz	Pineapple juice
2 drop	Saline solution (20g sea salt to 80g water) or merest pinch of s

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
Prepare garnish of skewered crystallised ginger.

How to make:

SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish:

Garnish with skewered crystallised ginger.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

Smoky, tangy and complex with layers of flavour, although happily mezcal dominates. (This cocktail also works well strained over ice in an old-fashioned glass.)

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History:

Adapted from a recipe created in 2016 by Stephen Wicker at the Raleigh Bar in Miami Beach, Florida. Stephen's original recipe calls for twice as much ginger syrup, but the ginger syrup he uses is housemade with a 1:1 concentration.

Nutrition:

One serving of When The Smoke Cleared contains 162 calories

Alcohol content:

1.2 standard drinks
13.43% alc./vol. (26.85° proof)
16.2 grams of pure alcohol

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 22 comments for When The Smoke Cleared.
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Chris Dimal

26th April at 05:07

Nice, fruity and delicious. Could sit on the fence of 5* and 4.5*. Used Del Maguey Chichicapa which added even more layers of flavour, from savouriness and smokiness to sweetness and minerality.

Jack Gordon

25th April at 20:19

My new favourite way to drink mezcal, a real surprise hit. The pineapple tames the bitter aperitivo, which in turn takes the edge off the smoky mezcal. Couldn’t believe how much of the minerality and earthiness of the mezcal still shone through under the high notes of ginger and Aperol. Tasty!

Loz Horner

25th April at 16:29

Very good. Didn’t have any ginger syrup so used some kings ginger and a little simple syrup. Fruity and smokey and refreshing all at once.

Doug Bain

21st March at 00:40

Quite tasty. This assortment of ingredients has the effect of bringing out the flavor of the mezcal rather than masking it.

Chris Brislawn

22nd October 2025 at 03:27

Well-balanced; agree that 1/4 oz is enough with thick, bottled ginger syrup. The Aperol ties everything together nicely. And this drink provides yet another use for our jar of candied ginger, which I'm trying to use while it's still soft enough to pierce with a cocktail sword. Distinct and tasty.

Ruth Harvey

30th August 2025 at 20:16

No ginger syrup to be had.....did a ginger beer float instead. Dancing around the kitchen now...just saying!

Mika Perkiömäki

19th January 2025 at 12:48

This was one of the best cocktails I have ever made or otherwise tasted. What still puzzles me is how I could not detect the pineapple when in every other drink that has pineapple juice its presence is clear. Not being a big fan of pineapple juice this was a pleasant surprise. And a mystery :D
Thanks again, Simon!

maya foster

27th June 2024 at 01:53

Bright. Refreshing. The smoke is of course interesting. I used bottled pineapple, but I think fresh pineapple (as suggested) would kick it over the top.

Matt Eschbach

2nd February 2024 at 05:10

Beautifully complex. I had to sub 1/3oz campari, and 1/3oz ginger liquor, and I did 1oz canned pineapple juice as mine wasn't very flavorful. I'm shocked how well everything works together.

Rick Pilling

15th November 2023 at 04:25

I had to adjust the recipe, but i love the basis for this drink! My palette seems to be particularly sensitive to sours (I typically reduce the lemon or lime component by half). If you have similar tastes, try:
1.5 oz mezcal
.66 oz Aperol
.5 oz. ginger syrup
.25 oz. lime
.5 oz. pineapple juice
.25 oz. pisco (I find it a fantastic substitute for saline)
Any way you cut it: Carsten hit the nail on the head--this drink has everything!