Nightlife

Smoking in Bars

LA’s Five Smokiest Cocktails

Great news: you can smoke in bars and restaurants again. Well, sort of. Here are the five smokiest cocktails to get you through fall, involving everything from liquid nitrogen to... smoked sriracha. No lighter required.

SMOKE LEVEL: 1

Picosita at the Writers Room

The situation: Your date’s new show got canceled (already), and you—you’re on a date with someone who acts. You both need to calm your nerves.
The smoke: A can of Latin American lager, splashed with Maggi and Worcestershire, with a lid circled in smoked sriracha. Ah, smoked sriracha is so calming.

SMOKE LEVEL: 2

The High Desert at Dirty Laundry

The situation: It’s late. Place is packed and deep underground. You could use a step-outside, but given the whole password-entrance situation... you might not get back inside.
The smoke: A Sazerac with a flaming-absinthe rinse coating your glass—gives your rye a real smoky flavor, what with the fire. And actual sparks.

SMOKE LEVEL: 3

Smoky Negroni at Hakkasan

The situation: You’re with agents. Your gaze: admirably steely. But it’d be even more imposing if it were cutting through a curtain of rising smoke.
The smoke: A traditional Negroni mixed with smoke made from Grand Marnier–smoked applewood chips—and poured tableside from a decanter. So... not traditional at all.

SMOKE LEVEL: 4

The Smoking Jacket at 1886 Bar

The situation: A way-off-grid rendezvous in Pasadena. Actual cigarette will be required soon. Okay, maybe a not-quite-actual cigarette.
The smoke: A glass of Irish whiskey with tobacco bitters, topped off with maple wood smoke. And served with a “cigarette” filled with orange-vanilla ash that you pour into the drink. No actual smoking jacket, though.

SMOKE LEVEL: 5

Smoke on the Water at the Bazaar

The situation: Crowds. LED tables. Random fur on people and bar stools. Sensory overload. You’re getting jittery. Can’t help it.
The smoke: A glass of smoky, atomized scotch with Islay Mist, flamed orange peel and blackberry—somewhere under a thick plume of liquid nitrogen. Yeah. It was good for you.