COCKTAIL: Waking Up In Vegas

This cocktail originally appeared in the February 9th, 2024 edition of The Action Cookbook Newsletter.

As soon as this week’s cocktail entered consideration, I knew it was going to slot into this week. It’s not just Mardi Gras week—there’s a Super Bowl happening in Las Vegas on Sunday. I needed something that would strike just the right note of old-school degeneracy, and this would be just the thing.

This was inspired by a drink that one of my oldest and dearest friends had at a cocktail bar in Chicago and immediately felt compelled to send me—a slightly-smoky Old Fashioned that has a bit of fun with the garnishes.

Waking Up In Vegas

• 1-3/4 ounces Old Overholt Rye Whiskey

• 1/4 ounce Ardbeg Scotch

• 1/2 ounce Lazzaroni Maraschino Liqueur

• 1/2 ounce Lapsang Souchong Syrup (see below)

• 2 heavy dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

• 1 candy cigarette1

• 1/4 tsp culinary-grade activated charcoal

EDIT: An important note regarding activated charcoal from Kacie in the comments: if you’re on prescription medications, wait at least three hours between taking your meds and making the drink. Activated charcoal can affect medication absorption, especially estrogen for folks on birth control and HRT.

Lapsang Souchong Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 bags Lapsang Souchong tea

Bring the water to a boil. Add the teabags, remove from the heat, and allow to steep until strong, 4-5 minutes. Remove and discard the teabags, return to a boil, then stir in the sugar, whisking until fully dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool fully.

Add a large ice cube to an Old Fashioned glass. Shake the bitters over the ice.

In a separate glass filled with ice, add the rye, scotch, maraschino liqueur and tea syrup; stir gently for 20 seconds. Strain over the ice in the main glass.

Sprinkle a small dusting of activated charcoal over the ice cube. (This achieves nothing other than a fun visual, to be clear.) Hold a candy cigarette over a flame until the end singes and gives off a toasted-marshmallow scent from the burning sugar.

It looks disgusting, but, y’know, in a good way—and it’s actually one heck of a drink, too. The smoke from the tea and scotch play well off the candy notes of the maraschino liqueur, anise-y bitters and burnt sugar from the garnish.

It really captures the vibe of a smoky casino floor without losing your life savings in the process.

—Scott Hines (@actioncookbook)