Brand Owner Profile - James Middleton, Middleton Mixology

Smoke Show By Joseph Luparello

MIDDLETON MIXOLOGY FANS THE FLAMES OF INNOVATION WITH ITS COOL INVENTION

Back in 2005, James Middleton, founder of Middleton Mixology, set out on a journey through the spirits industry. While working his way from the bottom up, he took a brief break to work as a firefighter before eventually returning to work at his first bartending gig. Immediately he became hooked on all the aspects tending bar had to offer.

James learned very quickly that hospitality and speaking confidently with his guests were key components to the bartending business. He credits his time working behind the bar with breaking him out of his shell. In fact, according to James, it was the ideal environment to naturally better himself. Not to mention he also had a fun, creative outlet at his disposal. So, he never looked back.

With the goal of soaking up all the knowledge he could, he spent the next several years of his life traveling to new cities, states, and countries. Seeking out unique concepts to sharpen his craft, he worked in 17 different establishments, nationally from Oregon, Washington, Florida, to internationally in Australia, over a two-decades long span.

After years of ideas being sparked by his experiences, one practically called out to James. In 2015, shortly after getting a bartending job in Seattle, he was befriended by the president of the United States Bartender’s Guild in Washington state. During a tour of the USBG president's bar, a bartender made him a smoked Old Fashioned, using a huge leaf blower-like device. He was fascinated by the drink itself, but not fond of the way it was created.

He noticed the smoking technique was full of flaws. The materials needed to smoke the cocktail took up a lot of space behind bar and offset the classy ambience of the bar, plus, and more importantly, it posed a fire hazard.

Upon noting these shortcomings, James was inspired by the goal of optimizing the method, especially given his firefighter experience. This realization marked the start of his revolutionary invention, the Middleton Mixology SmokeTop.

“There are two facts that I had learned from firefighting that really influenced my design. The first is that smoke only rises when hot and sinks when cool, acting almost like a liquid,” explains James. “The second is that inside of smoke are tiny particulates and oils. These oils are where the delicious flavor comes from. With this info, I set out to make a cocktail smoker that would smoke the ice directly inside of the glass to allow for more surface area for the oils to cling to. Then when the drink is poured into the glass the cool smoke will billow over the glass creating a show. As the ice melts, it releases the oils and fully infuses the drink, so you get the smoky flavor consistently through the end of the cocktail.”

Once he finalized the SmokeTop, he implemented it at the bar he managed, and the reaction was much stronger than anticipated. It was found to work more effectively than any other method while only taking a fraction of preparation time. It takes only ten seconds to smoke a drink with the SmokeTop, and you can even use two at the same time, smoking multiple drinks at once. Due to the richness of the smoke created, it should be treated as an ingredient instead of just a show!

Once the smoke clears, amazing innovations and ideas are found anywhere and everywhere.