S’Mores With More. Giving the Fireside Classic an Elevated Spin.
Take a cue from high-end bars and restaurants that are getting creative with this do-it-yourself treat.
5 min
One of America’s greatest contributions to the pantheon of sweet treats is the s’more. Nothing more than a simple combination of chocolate, marshmallow, and graham cracker (preferably heated up over a crackling fire), s’mores have become a beloved pastime among kids of all ages, and in recent years the once-humble dessert has evolved in a number of ways.
Countless restaurants and resorts have elevated the combination, creating unique offerings that barely resemble the original version. The best part of these fine-dining iterations is that they can be made in the (warm) comfort of home.
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Mansion Global Experience Luxury consulted with a range of culinary talent from across the U.S., seeking out their spins on the beloved dessert. From drinkable and dippable versions to fanciful concoctions made with luxurious ingredients, these recipes will change how you look at s’mores.
The Elvis
One of the toniest hotels in the nation’s capital, Salamander Washington DC, serves this decadent creation at its lobby-level lounge or on the picturesque terrace restaurant overlooking the Washington Marina. “When reimagining the classic s’mores, I wanted to create something truly unique,” says Leanne Wood, pastry sous-chef. “The first combination that came to mind was peanut butter and bananas—a pairing I’ve always adored. I wanted to take it even further and add a bold twist. That’s when the idea of bacon came into play, leading to the creation of tequila-candied bacon. How could I resist combining these iconic flavors into an elevated s’mores experience?”
Ingredients
Makes four servings
8 pieces of milk chocolate bars
8 graham crackers broken into squares
8 marshmallows
8 tablespoons peanut butter
2 bananas, slightly green
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 cup dark Anejo Tequila
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 pound bacon
For Tequila Brown Sugar Bacon
Heat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay bacon slices in a single layer on the baking sheet (using two if they won’t fit on one). Brush bacon on both sides with tequila. Sprinkle brown sugar on both sides of the bacon. Bake until crispy, for about 25–30 minutes. Remove bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate, and let cool for at least five minutes before serving.
Directions
Melt butter in a frying pan and gently fry the bananas, being careful not to mash them. When bananas are browned on each side, sprinkle lightly with brown sugar and remove from heat. Top a graham cracker with a square of chocolate. Spread peanut butter generously over another graham-cracker square. Toast a marshmallow and add it to your chocolate and graham-cracker stack. Top with a few caramelized bananas and tequila brown sugar bacon slices. Combine the two crackers to form a sandwich.
S’mores Milk Punch
When it comes to the winter season, Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans provides a memorable environment, especially when patrons indulge in this drinkable take on s’mores at the posh Chandelier Bar. “This drink pulls on our sentimental heartstrings and makes us feel immersed in the festivities,” says chef-partner Alon Shaya. “Milk punch might be trendy today, but this creamy and rich format has been a part of the New Orleans cocktail scene for generations.”
Ingredients
Makes one serving
1.5 ounce bourbon
1 ounce heavy cream
0.75 ounce Tempus Fugit Crème de Cacao
0.25 ounce simple syrup
1 small graham cracker
Mini marshmallows (or one large marshmallow)
Freshly shaved nutmeg
Directions
Fill a shaker with ice and add the liquids. Shake vigorously for 5 to 7 seconds. Fill an Old Fashioned glass with fresh ice and strain the liquids through the shaker and into the glass. Garnish with nutmeg, graham cracker, and as many marshmallows as desired.
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Maple-Bacon Savory S’mores
Befitting its status as one of Vermont’s most elevated luxury slopeside communities, Spruce Peak—located at the base of Stowe’s imposing Mount Mansfield—serves up s’mores in style. Guests of The Lodge at Spruce Peak can enjoy this savory take on the classic at cozy venues such as the WhistlePig Pavilion and Alpine Hall. “When brainstorming ideas for a wedding group who wanted an over-the-top s’mores bar, we came up with the idea to swap out the traditional marshmallow with raclette cheese—a melty alpine-style cheese that is no stranger to fire,” says executive chef Sean Blomgren. “The savory-sweet pairing of the smoky cheese with our signature maple-bacon jam makes for an unforgettable twist on the traditional s’more.”
Ingredients
Makes four to eight servings
16 black pepper-thyme crackers (or suitable store-bought alternative)
1/2 cup maple-bacon jam
1/2 pound Raclette cheese, cut into eight 2-inch by 2-inch rectangles, ½-inch thick
Roasting sticks
For Maple-Bacon Jam
1 pound bacon, diced
1 large shallot, diced
½ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup Vermont maple syrup
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
2 sprigs thyme
Use a heavy-bottomed shallow pan and render bacon until browned and crispy. Drain most of the bacon fat and add shallots to sweat. Once translucent, add remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until syrupy. Makes 2 cups.
Directions
Make maple-bacon jam ahead of time. When ready to assemble, skewer cheese pieces with two long sticks for stability. Roast over an open fire until bubbly and starting to melt (too melty and the cheese will fall into the fire). Place cheese onto one cracker at a time, and top with bacon jam. Top each with a second cracker to form savory s’mores.
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S’mores Martini
It doesn’t get much cozier than Lake Placid’s Whiteface Lodge in the heart of New York’s Adirondacks. This indulgent cocktail can be enjoyed at Peak 47’s copper-topped bar or while seated outside in one of the resort’s rustic lean-tos. “This cocktail was crafted to perfectly complement the cozy, inviting atmosphere of Peak 47, capturing the essence of Whiteface Lodge—whether you’re savoring it at the bar or relaxing by the fireplace,” says chef Michael Jacobs.
Ingredients
Makes one serving
1 ounce Mozart Chocolate Cream Liqueur
1 ounce Smirnoff Vanilla vodka
1.5 ounces Bailey’s Irish Cream
Ghirardelli chocolate syrup
Crushed graham crackers
2 marshmallows
Directions
Line the rim of a chilled coupe glass with chocolate syrup, and roll the rim onto crushed graham crackers. Combine liquids in a shaker; shake and double-strain into the glass. Place two marshmallows on a toothpick. Toast the marshmallows by briefly lighting them on fire. Allow the flames to naturally extinguish, or carefully blow them out if needed. Once toasted, place the marshmallows on top of the glass.
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Lux S’mores Fondue
Guests of The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel rooted in the history and heritage of downtown Chicago in the 1930s, can enjoy this sociable, communal take on the classic. “There’s something magical about gathering around a fire pit on a winter night,” says executive chef Matt Jergens. “This fondue was inspired by that very feeling—a warm, cozy experience meant to bring friends and family together on our rooftop terrace, sharing laughter, stories, and that perfect bite of melted chocolate by the glow of the fire pits and city lights.”
Ingredients
Makes four to six servings
1 cup Callebaut extra bitter Guayaquil couverture chocolate (chips or bars broken into 1-inch squares)
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup honey
Pinch sea salt
12 graham crackers
24 marshmallows
1 package of pre-made cheesecake bites or 1 full cheesecake, sliced
1 box or sleeve of shortbread cookies
3 large bananas sliced
1 package of fresh strawberries, cleaned
Directions
Combine the cream and honey in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Pour mixture over chocolate in a mixing bowl; add salt. Stir until smooth, then transfer to a traditional fondue pot over heat. (Use at least a six-cup stainless steel or ceramic fondue pot, electric or integrated burner based on preference.) Using fondue sticks or long wooden skewers, dip preferred items into the fondue and then place in between or on top of graham crackers to make a traditional s’mores bite, or create your own deconstructed s’more with the fondue.
This article originally appeared in the February 2025 issue of Mansion Global Experience Luxury.
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From making unpopular decisions to learning when to listen, leaders from five businesses reveal what nobody prepared them for — and how running a company has challenged their expectations.
Technology and semiconductor shares fell sharply as investors questioned the debt financing the AI infrastructure boom and confronted higher rates and Chinese competition.
Elon Musk is exploring a potential merger between Tesla and SpaceX, a deal that could reshape the future of AI, robotics, autonomous vehicles and space technology. With a combined valuation potentially reaching $3.5 trillion, the move could bring Musk’s vision of an interconnected technology ecosystem closer to reality, although a deal remains uncertain.
5 min
Elon Musk has engineered ties between Tesla TSLA 3.41%increase; up pointing triangle and SpaceX SPCX 7.79%increase; up pointing triangle that are hard to break, and now he wants to fuse them together permanently.
Musk has run both Tesla and SpaceX concurrently over the past two decades, using a schedule that dictated which days he spent focused on each business.
The companies have often shared resources and personnel, signaling their close ties. Last year, SpaceX looked into creating a spacesuit for Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus, a person familiar with the matter said. Tesla last week showed off its new Roadster, a vehicle featuring SpaceX rocket thrusters that it hopes to soon bring to market.
And in recent months, Musk has repositioned both companies by expanding beyond their core operations toward a shared mission centered on artificial intelligence.
The world’s richest man on Tuesday signaled his interest in tying up SpaceX and Tesla, marking what would be the biggest corporate merger of all time. Because he serves as chief executive of SpaceX and Tesla, Musk said committees of independent directors at both companies are evaluating a possible deal, adding that a transaction might not come to fruition.
The committees will likely evaluate, with lawyers and bankers, how each company would fare in a potential deal and how a deal might best be structured. They then present their conclusions to their respective boards, who typically vote on whether to proceed.
“It’s an odd Kabuki dance where two groups of people are talking and I can’t be in the conversation,” Musk told SpaceX investors on Tuesday in response to an analyst’s question about a potential deal.
For Musk, the merger supports his vision of a world full of autonomous cars, humanoid robots and weekly rocket launches, as well as the data centers and satellites required to keep the whole thing running.
Some investors and analysts said they expect a transaction would be structured as an all-stock deal, with SpaceX potentially paying a modest premium for Tesla shares.
SpaceX, which has a market value of about $2 trillion, said it is seeing sharp growth in revenue across its businesses, which include operating data centers, launching rockets and operating satellite networks such as the internet service Starlink. Tesla is valued at about $1.5 trillion and is expanding its operations beyond its automotive and energy business. Shares in both companies traded higher following the news Tuesday.
Musk’s substantial ownership stakes in both companies, along with voting control at SpaceX, has enabled him to set the deal in motion. Analysts and investors said the deal will probably face regulatory scrutiny internationally, though some see Musk’s close relationship with the Trump administration as an asset to getting approval.
Blurred lines
The companies haven’t said which directors are on the special committees evaluating a potential deal. Several SpaceX and Tesla board members have either personal or business ties to Musk. And like Musk, venture capitalist Ira Ehrenpreis sits on both boards.
In a filing this week, Tesla outlined millions of dollars in business agreements with SpaceX and its subsidiaries last year, including $143 million in car sales to SpaceX, $3.3 million in advertising that it bought on the social-media platform X and $430 million in revenue from the sale of Megapack batteries for SpaceX’s data centers.
The companies also split the cost of resources including the use of Musk’s SpaceX jet and the bill for his personal security, which he runs through a private company.
Employees at both companies routinely move between companies to work on special projects, and some executives have dual roles, including Charles Kuehmann, vice president of materials engineering at both SpaceX and Tesla, and Ashok Elluswamy, the vice president of AI software at Tesla who runs a joint venture with SpaceX called Digital Optimus.
Over the years, Musk has launched new startups within his empire, including brain-implant company Neuralink, underground-tunnel developer the Boring Company and xAI, the AI startup that merged with SpaceX in February.
It is that AI business that Musk thinks can serve a market worth tens of trillions of dollars, justifying the need for a merger.
The business case goes like this: Tesla is developing robotaxis and robots, which it calls “physical AI.” SpaceX is working on the back end of physical AI: the data-center capacity and internet connection required for those robotaxis and robots to operate continuously.
“I don’t see what the value of Tesla is if it’s not merged with SpaceX,” said investment adviser Ross Gerber, a former Tesla bull turned critic invested in both companies. “If they don’t merge, the brains of everything that runs Tesla is owned by another company.”
On top of it all, both companies face constraints on the supply chains they need to make this world a reality, particularly when it comes to chips. To address this, Musk earlier this year announced a joint venture between Tesla, SpaceX and Intel to design and manufacture chips in Texas. “The most epic chip-building exercise by far,” he has said.
Musk at the wheel
For Musk, a merger would also solve two problems: demands on his attention and his lack of control at Tesla.
Tesla for years was Musk’s only public company, a status that came with greater scrutiny. There, Musk reports to a public board, as well as individual investors who make up around 30% of Tesla’s voting power, according to FactSet.
The question of Musk’s attention became a particular focus for investors and the board in recent years after he acquired Twitter in 2022 and launched xAI in 2023, and again in 2025 as he spent time in Washington, D.C., running the Department of Government Efficiency in the early months of President Trump’s second term.
As Tesla’s car business suffered in 2025, Musk threatened to take his AI ambitions outside the company if he wasn’t granted 25% voting control. Last November, Tesla shareholders approved a new pay package for Musk, which created a path for him to vastly expand his stake.
As of Sept. 30, Musk owned a roughly 20% stake in Tesla, according to the company’s proxy filing.
The SpaceX IPO gave Musk a different path. When SpaceX went public in June, the deal’s structure enabled him to have more than 80% voting power at the company—so much that he can’t be fired and decisions can’t be made without his support.
If SpaceX acquires Tesla, he will likely stay in control.
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