Home & Kitchen · Head-to-head
Breville the Smoking Gun vs Middleton Mixology SmokeTop
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Cocktail Smokers: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The Smoking Gun is the most versatile tool here, with a fan-driven cold smoke hose that works on drinks and food and runs on AA batteries instead of butane. The SmokeTop is the simplest and least expensive way to smoke one drink at a time, if you already own or buy a torch.
Breville the Smoking Gun
Buy itA battery-powered cold smoke gun with a hose that smokes drinks and food without a torch.
- A dual-speed fan pushes cold smoke through a silicone hose, giving you a gentle or intense setting.
- Breville says cold smoke is gentle enough for ice cream, butter and cocktails as well as meat and cheese, so it is more than a drink gadget.
- It runs on four AA batteries, which are included, so there is no butane to buy or refill, and the burn chamber is removable for cleaning.
- The included accessories list no cloche, dome or lid, so you need your own way to cover a glass or dish.
- No lighter is listed in the box, and you still need a flame to light the wood chips.
- Only two small wood chip samples (hickory and applewood) are included; the chip pack is sold separately.
Middleton Mixology SmokeTop
Buy itA Made in USA cherry wood smoker that sits on the rim of the glass and smokes a drink in seconds.
- It sits on the rim of the glass rather than in it, so it works on whiskey, cocktails and anything else you pour, with no dome or clamps.
- Middleton lists 5 to 10 seconds of smoking per cocktail and about 500 uses per device, with five replacement screens included.
- It is made in the USA from American cherry wood with a food safe mineral oil coating, and the maker cites a lifetime guarantee.
- The package list for the standalone SmokeTop includes the device, sample cherry chips, instructions and screens, but no torch or butane.
- Middleton notes that butane cannot be shipped internationally, so buyers outside the US need to source it locally.
- It smokes drinks only; there is no hose for food.
Side by side
| Breville the Smoking Gun | Middleton Mixology SmokeTop | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Home cooks and bartenders who want to smoke both drinks and food with one tool and skip butane. | Whiskey and cocktail drinkers who already own a culinary torch and want a simple, low-cost smoker. |
| Price tier | $$ · mid-range | $ · budget |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Breville the Smoking Gun - A battery-powered cold smoke gun with a hose that smokes drinks and food without a torch. Choose the Middleton Mixology SmokeTop instead if whiskey and cocktail drinkers who already own a culinary torch and want a simple, low-cost smoker.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Cocktail Smokers: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).