The popular image of an elegant 1920s lady draped over a grand piano while holding a cocktail and a cigarette in an elongated holder is one that's infinitely more glamorous than today's reality of groups of outcast smokers puffing away on a soggy street corner.
Over recent, post smoking ban years, the classic atmosphere of a smoky old speakeasy was something we all thought had been consigned to the history books. Guess we were wrong...
Last month, Public Health England declared that using an e-cigarette – now better known as 'vaping' – is about 95% less harmful than smoking an old-fashioned tobacco cigarette.
Encouraged by this news, The Rummer Hotel on All Saints Lane made the controversial decision to introduce a limited edition Smoke and Cocktails menu, which matches mixed drinks with complementary (nicotine-free) vapours, both blended by the venue's expert bartenders.
The menu was launched on August 20, but will run until September 20 and features a list of four drink and vapour combinations.
The first is Smoke-O-Nut, a cocktail of smoked El Dorado three-year-old rum, pineapple juice, cream and sugar, served with a coconut-flavoured vapour.
Next is Terry Can Do One, which mixes Evan Williams whisky, dry curaçao, crème de cacao chocolate liqueur, crème de chataigne chestnut liqueur and chocolate, served with a mint vapour.
Alternatively, you could try the Milano Mule, a gingerbread and cappuccino vapour that's been matched with a cocktail of OVD rum, ginger beer and Angostura bitters.
Finally there's the Cosmo Anise – Luksusowa vodka, dry curaçao, cranberry juice and lime juice accompanied by an anise vapour.
The Rummer
According The Rummer's owner, Brett Hirt, people have long enjoyed the flavours of drinking and smoking together, but this special menu has 'modernised the idea, taking advantage of new technology and the availability of atomisers, and removed the nicotine from our vapours.'
Although the vapes are nicotine free with odourless smoke, The Rummer's decision to allow the combination goes against many venues that have banned vaping for fear of making tobacco cigarettes more acceptable.
While there isn't much time left to enjoy the Smoke and Cocktails menu, Hirst assures that this is just one of several ideas The Rummer plans to introduce over the next year. We can only imagine where they might go from here...
Read more about Bristol's best cocktail bars.