Rinse chilled rocks glass with 5 mL/1 tsp scotch. Stir ingredients w/ice in mixing glass. Strain into the rinsed glass over a large clear cube. Flame an orange coin over drink, rub flamed coin around rim, and drop into glass.
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TASTING NOTES:
An immediate olfactory hit of charred citrus and coastal bonfire. The palate opens with velvet honey and oak, transitioning into a
tannic, berry-led mid-palate. It concludes with a long, resonant finish of sea-salt smoke and dark chocolate.
The Dillon's Cranberry Bitters are structural—they provide the backbone that balances the weight of the orange and honey liqueurs. Do not omit.
I designed the Smoky Copper Sun because I wanted to see if I could balance the smooth, toasted oak of a Canadian whisky (Forty Creek Double Barrel) and the intense smoke of a peated Islay Scotch.
I wanted a boozy, spirit-forward drink that felt rich and velvety instead of thin and sharp.
The real secret to the drink is the texture. Because of the Grand Marnier and the Drambuie, the cocktail has a thick, silky mouthfeel that coats your tongue. At first, I thought it might be too sweet, but that’s where the Dillon’s Cranberry Bitters come in. Even if you don't usually like cranberry, they are the "magic" ingredient here—they add a hidden tartness and a bit of dryness that keeps the honey and orange in check.
The finish is important, rinsing the glass with peated whiskey and flaming an orange peel over the top, you get a hit of campfire smoke before you even take a first sip.
The name Smoky Copper Sun describes the visual of the flamed orange oils (the "Sun") settling over the amber liquid (the "Copper") while the peated rinse provides the "Smoke."