There is a running joke at our house about how everything seems to lead back to cocktails with me. And I guess it’s true. Just as food holds some of the stories of my life, my muse tends to apply my life stories to cocktails. This whiskey drink, awash with flavor and a layer of smoke, tells the story of the past week, when my husband, Les, and I spent a few days in northern New Jersey and New York City.

If you looked at the news this week, you probably saw the apocalyptic images of Manhattan, blanketed in a sepia haze that didn’t seem to move at all, even with the very breeze that dragged it south from Canada, where wildfires are still blazing. The air quality in New York, one environmental group declared on Wednesday, was the worst of all major cities in the entire world— and we, of course, were in the thick of it, but it wasn’t all bad.

This visit to New York was planned many months ago, arranged to follow a family wedding in nearby Livingston, N.J., but we had only purchased our tickets to the The Neil Diamond Musical: A Beautiful Noise a few days earlier, before the air quality alerts started leading the news feed. I highly recommend this spectacular show about one of my all-time favorite artists, and I’m glad we resisted the urge to skip it when the smoke moved in. Carrying on amid chaos is the New York way—God knows, the city has lived through worse— and though it probably did look awful (and yellow) from a distance, the Wednesday sky seemed less ominous where Les and I stood, just a block or so from Times Square. Press play and decide for yourself.

It turned out to be a great day, despite the smoke. We saw the show, walked 20 blocks to the Empire Hotel to meet an old friend for drinks, and then enjoyed dinner at one of New York’s many authentic Italian restaurants. A day that ends with homemade tiramisu is never a bad one.

Now that we are back at home, breathing easy, sleeping in our own bed and enjoying so many snuggles from our kitty who missed us terribly, I wanted to recapture our smoky adventures the best way I know how— with a cocktail. This is essentially a riff on a classic Manhattan, but with a cherry-vanilla twist. Rather than plain old bourbon or rye, I opted for a Canadian whisky in homage to our northern neighbors. The whisky has the feel of a bourbon but focuses on the sweetness, just as we focused on the sweetness of the day in smoky Manhattan.

Carpano Antica red vermouth is a classic, and amplifies the vanilla without too much extra sweetness. Strangely, this is my first ever home cocktail with real Angostura bitters (yes, really), and I won’t be looking back at my regular “aromatic” bottle anytime soon. A spoonful of syrup from the Luxardo cherries hit the mix and, of course, the dramatic smoke, courtesy of our Aged & Charred cocktail smoking kit. Here’s how it went, and if you prefer to pour it over a big rock, that’s cool, too.

The Smoke Over Manhattan

• Servings: Makes 1 drink
• Prep Time: 5 minutes to chill the glass
• Difficulty: Average
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This is a cherry-vanilla riff on a classic Manhattan, with Crown Royal Vanilla whisky standing in for the bourbon or rye. Here's hoping the wildfires in Canada are under control soon!

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Crown Royal Vanilla whisky
• 3/4 ounce Carpano Antica red vermouth
• 3 shakes Angostura bitters
• 1 barspoon Luxardo cherry syrup
• Luxardo cherry garnish
• Oak chips for smoking (optional, but wow!)

There are other ways to impart a smoky flavor to a cocktail, if you don’t have or care to use a smoking tool. Try smoky bitters or make a simple syrup infused with smoked black pepper, and substitute that for the cherry syrup.

Directions

1. Add ice and a bit of water to a coupe glass and give it a few minutes to chill down. OR, add a giant rock to an old fashioned glass.
2. Combine whisky, vermouth, bitters and syrup in a mixing glass filled halfway with ice. Stir for about 20 seconds for proper dilution and chilling. Strain cocktail into chilled glass over a Luxardo cherry.
3. Add a small pinch of oak chips to the smoking device and torch until chips catch fire, then cover when the flames dissipate. Let the smoke permeate the drink for about 10 seconds.
4. Carefully lift the smoke device and enjoy the smoke over Manhattan. Cheers!