Name: Holy Smokes No.1
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 45 ml Bourbon whiskey; 15 ml Vermouth amaro (Car.); 15 ml Bénédictine D.O.M.; 5 ml Peated malt whisky; 4 drop Chocolate bitters

Ingredients

1 1/2 fl oz

Bourbon whiskey

1/2 fl oz

Light vermouth amaro (e.g. Cardamaro)

1/2 fl oz

Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur

1/6 fl oz

Peated single malt whisky

4 drop

Bob's Chocolate bitters

How to make

Glass

Prepare

Select and pre-chill a NICK & NORA GLASS.

Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

Method

STIR all ingredients with ice.

FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

EXPRESS flamed orange zest twist over cocktail, then use as garnish.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Holy Smokes No.1 contains 190 calories

Alcohol content:

1.8 standard drinks
30.6% alc./vol. (61.21° proof)
24.6 grams of pure alcohol

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Light vermouth amaro (e.g. Cardamaro) — Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites

Comments & Discussion

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Robert Spain 12w

Sweet, strong, complex.

Tim Cull 13w

The Cardamaro is brilliant in this one. I wouldn’t recommend trying to substitute anything else.

Simon Sedgley Premium Member 13w

Yes, there isn't really a substitute for Cardamaro here. Anything else would make it 'heavy'. Cocchi Vermouth Amaro is sometimes suggested as an alternative to Cardamaro but we demur. With this one, the Cardamaro gives the cocktail ballet slippers.

Mike Premium Member 1y

This has hints of a Left Hand. The choice of bourbon can steer this is a lot of different directions. I was working on a bottle of Willett Special Reserve so I used that. It’s pretty soft and the final result was as well. Left me wondering how different a high rye bourbon like Woodford or OGD might change the result.

Bottom line: The spec calls for Benedictine, so I’m in.

Willett Special Reserve, Caol Ila, Ango Cocoa Bitters.

Simon Sedgley Premium Member 1y

Any cocktail with the queen of vermouth amari, Cardamaro, present...well, we're there. And this one doesn't disappoint, with all of the courtiers bowing and curtsying to the supreme lady elegantly.

John CARR Premium Member 1y

Revisiting with a punchier whiskey (makers 46) and it did the trick. Superb and superbly balanced. Love how the tobacco notes in the Cardamaro are echoed by the scotch and flamed twist. I went with talisker as didn’t feel like being that holy smoked this evening.

Jochum Elsinga 1y

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!

John CARR Premium Member 1y

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!