About Us

It all started with an Old Fashioned cocktail ...

Actually, a Brandy Old Fashioned cocktail to be specific. As a born and raised Wisconsinite, our official state drink (yes, there is such a thing) is the Brandy Old Fashioned. This is where brandy replaces the whiskey, and it’s served with Maraschino cherries, orange juice, a dash of bitters, soda and ice (I bet you thought cheese was going to be in there somewhere).

Now, I have to admit, I was not an immediate fan, but, loyal to my home state, I wanted to develop an appreciation for it. So my daughter and I started visiting various establishments around town (don’t worry, she’s of age), trying different versions of the Brandy Old Fashioned and before you knew it, I was hooked. Then I heard about a new trend, the Smoked Brandy Old Fashioned. My daughter knew I was intrigued, so, on Father's Day, she gifted me with a battery-powered, pricey cocktail smoker infuser kit.

I was very excited at the thought of being able to add a smoky essence to my go-to cocktail, but sadly, after just two drinks, the smoker stopped working, and the company didn’t return my calls.

Obviously, I felt I could do better. With a friend, I began designing the concept for what would become the Hogtender™ Smoker, and together we made our first prototype. Using our friends and family as a test group, they also fell in love with the smooth smoky and savory flavor of the smoked Brandy Old Fashion, not to mention the mesmerizing aroma. We knew we had something special!

You see, the Hogtender™ has a key differentiator. Our smoke chambers are made of food-grade stainless steel, compared to competitors’ whose are made out of wood. What this means is, when you use a smoker with a wooden chamber, it doesn’t filter out the burning smoke. Our chambers ensure you only get the aromatic wood chip smoke, which is much more appealing. Plus, over time, you will need to replace those wooden chamber smokers as they will burn up, whereas our stainless steel ones will not. This means that our Hogtender™ will last a lifetime, making it the only cocktail smoker you will ever need!

We truly believe that the Hogtender™ is the best cocktail smoker on the market, and now, thanks to our brand new Charcuterie SmokeBox, you can add this same savour to meat and cheese. We have also recently expanded to provide oak barrel kits for aging tequila, rum, bourbon, and whiskey in, so you can make your own spirits at home.

Our goal is to offer a complete smoked entertaining experience from beginning to end! As an added bonus, all of our cocktail smoker kits and our oak aging barrel kits can be personalized, along with our gift box with a “Here’s to {name}” inscription on the side (personalized box coming very soon!). Now how cool is that!

If you have any questions, just hit us up on our online chat where you’ll experience our genuine Midwestern hospitality.

Thanks for visiting the Blind Pig Drinking Co and we hope to be saying, “Here’s to You!” very soon!