smoked cocktail with garnish from smokecraft modern barbecue

Food & Drink

3 NoVA Bars and Restaurants Serving Picture-Perfect Smoked Cocktails

The food isn’t the only smoke show in town. Flavor abounds in aromatic drinks from area bars and restaurants.

By Erica Moody April 23, 2024 at 8:22 am

A smoked cocktail, with its sophisticated flavor profile, is meant to be savored. While popular in the winter months, there’s no reason these fumy drinks can’t be enjoyed year-round. Here are a few places to go and what to order on your next night out in NoVA.

Smokecraft Modern Barbecue

A restaurant with a lovingly designed cocktail menu is one worth a return visit. At this Arlington eatery, hand-crafted, visually appealing cocktails include several with smoky elements. For whiskey lovers, the Apple Jacks made with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple has a smoke bubble on top. For tequila fans, there’s a Smoked Berry Margarita. The Southern Sky, made with Deep Eddy cranberry vodka, is served in a smoke cloak and features rosemary-smoked simple syrup. And there are plenty more where those came from. 1051 N. Highland St., Arlington

WHINO

The shareable version of the Smoked Old Fashioned at this restaurant/bar/art gallery comes with “a touch of theater and spectacle,” says director of marketing and events Davante Hicks. The whiskey concoction, which uses Knob Creek Rye, “arrives at your table concealed within a cocktail smoker, trailing wisps of aromatic smoke that pique your curiosity” before the lid is lifted and the smoke is released. Bravo! 4238 Wilson Blvd., Second Floor, Arlington

MacMillan Whisky Room

This neighborhood bar in the Mosaic District, where you can find more than 500 different whiskeys and hundreds of other spirits, offers smoked cocktails throughout the year on its rotating seasonal menus. Here’s hoping it serves The Clouds on Loch Lomond when you visit. It’s a smoked penicillin cocktail featuring scotch, ginger, honey, and lemon. 2920 District Ave., Ste. 155, Fairfax

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Feature image by Michael Butcher

This story originally ran in our April issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.

Erica Moody

Contributing Editor

Erica Moody is Northern Virginia Magazine’s Contributing Editor. She has been a lifestyle journalist and editor for more than 15 years, with previous staff roles at Philadelphia magazine, Washington Life Magazine, and Travel Leaders Group. She’s consulted for brands including American Express Travel and Royal Caribbean. Her writing has appeared in Ad Age, The Telegraph, InsideHook, Technical.ly, DC Inno, and more. She holds an MFA from Antioch University and a BA from Tulane.