Holy Smokes No.1

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (41 ratings)
  • Holy Smokes No.1 Image

    Holy Smokes No.1

  • Jump to
Holy Smokes No.1 image

Photographed in an UB Nick And Nora 1920

Ingredients:
1 1⁄2 oz Bourbon whiskey
1⁄2 oz Light vermouth amaro (e.g. Cardamaro)
1⁄2 oz Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur
1⁄6 oz Torabhaig Peated Single Malt Whisky
4 drop Chocolate bitters
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill a Nick & Nora glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.
  3. STIR all ingredients with ice.
  4. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
  5. EXPRESS flamed orange zest twist over cocktail, then use as garnish.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 8/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 6/10
More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile
Cocktail of the day:

28th May 2025 is National Brisket Day

Review:

Bourbon-laced and spirit-forward but mellowed by bittersweet amaro and herbal liqueur with a hint of Islay smokiness.

View readers' comments

History:

Adapted from a recipe created by Whistle Pig brand ambassador Tony Devencenz in USA.

Nutrition:

One serving of Holy Smokes No.1 contains 190 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.7 standard drinks
  • 30.56% alc./vol. (30.56° proof)
  • 24.5 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.

Sunray Image
Previous cocktail

Sunray

Revolver Image
Next cocktail

Revolver

Join the discussion

Showing 3 comments for Holy Smokes No.1.
See discussion in the Forum

Please log in to make a comment
Jochum Elsinga’s Avatar Jochum Elsinga
28th May at 20:14
I didn't have Cardamaro so switched that for 10ml sweet vermouth + 5ml Amaro Averna. Probably not the same but holy smokes it tasted incredibly good!
1
reply
John CARR’s Avatar John CARR
27th May at 14:26
This was a bit too sweet for me and ended up bumping up tho bourbon, scotch and bitters by a notch or two or each. Admittedly I had the inferior 40% abv Woodford reserve that they are selling here now - 52.5 ml, Laphraoig 7.5 and 6 drops Bob’s finest.
Very enjoyable, rich and tangy with decided tobacco notes. Not on the front list at this point but might well nuzzle its way first in time!
1
reply
John CARR’s Avatar John CARR
27th May at 14:29
Was looking for something with Cardamaro and happened on it exactly on the Diffords Day!
1
reply
Andy Parnell-Hopkinson’s Avatar Andy Parnell-Hopkinson
8th May 2022 at 18:42
Like a funky Vieux Carre. Nice!
2
reply
advert banner
Sunray Image
Previous cocktail

Sunray

Citrusy, bourbon-laced and gently bittersweet with fresh zippy rich orange

Revolver Image
Next cocktail

Revolver

Depending on your coffee liqueur, this can be a tad on the dry side so I've added a splash of sugar. Hence, according to your own tastes, you may want...

Liqueurs & cordials Image

Liqueurs & cordials

Liqueurs and alcoholic cordials are sweetened alcoholic drinks made by mixing or redistilling spirits with flavourings and colourings. Within the EEC a...
Bitters Image

Bitters

Bitters are alcoholic beverages prepared with herbs, spices, roots, fruits and peels infused in alcohol or glycerin. Popular ingredients include gentian...
Bourbon Image

Bourbon

Bourbon is as American as the Stars and Stripes, the Grand Canyon, and pumpkin pie, but there are some common misconceptions about what exactly bourbon...
Amaro Image

Amaro

Amaro is both the Italian word for bitter and the name of a bittersweet style of liqueurs traditionally from Italy. Amari (the plural of amaro) are usually...
How to flame a cocktail Image

How to flame a cocktail

The terms ‘ignite’, ‘flame’ or ‘flambé’ mean that a drink should be set alight. Please exercise extreme care when setting fire to drinks...
20 best/most rated Martinis Image

20 best/most rated Martinis

There are 1,000s of cocktails with "Martini" in their name on Difford's Guide, and the majority are not actually true Martinis, at least going by the Oxford...