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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International AI strategist Justin Kabbani will headline the Kanebridge Property Summit in Sydney on June 18, with tickets selling fast.
Scotch whisky expert, luxury hospitality strategist and Keeper of the Quaich inductee Ross Blainey is bringing a new philosophy of luxury experiences to Citizen Kanebridge.
Scotch whisky expert, luxury hospitality strategist and Keeper of the Quaich inductee Ross Blainey is bringing a new philosophy of luxury experiences to Citizen Kanebridge.
4 minFrom Scotch whisky and luxury retreats to fashion collaborations and world-class hospitality, Ross Blainey has spent years shaping high-end experiences around one idea: modern luxury is no longer just about what you own.
It is about access, connection and moments money alone cannot buy.
As Citizen Kanebridge continues to grow as one of Australia’s most sought-after private members’ clubs, Blainey, the club’s new Head of Membership, says the future lies in creating experiences members cannot find anywhere else.
“The ultimate memorable experiences are the money can’t buy moments,” Blainey said.
“The things that you can’t just put together anytime or any place. They make up something that is greater than the sum of its parts.”
On June 4, Blainey will bring that philosophy to life when he hosts an exclusive whisky evening for Citizen Kanebridge members at Sydney’s Royal Automobile Club of Australia.
Titled A Journey Through Whisky, the intimate event will see Blainey guide members through a curated selection of rare and unreleased whiskies drawn from his personal archive, alongside stories gathered across years working at the highest levels of the Scotch whisky world.
The evening will also include reflections on Blainey’s induction as a Keeper of the Quaich at Blair Castle in Scotland last year, one of the whisky industry’s rarest global honours.
A career built around experience
Before joining Citizen Kanebridge, Blainey built a career spanning luxury hospitality, Scotch whisky, premium lifestyle brands and experiential events.
But he says one industry above all others shaped the way he thinks about people and community: Scotch whisky.
“At its core, at its heart and throughout its whole history, Scotch has been about sharing, enjoyment, telling stories, meeting people and generally having a good time,” he said.
“Whisky can be that shared moment of laughter, and it can also be a shared moment of just slowing down, taking stock and contemplating. These are so key to building community.”
Blainey’s deep involvement in the whisky world culminated in 2025 when he was inducted as a Keeper of the Quaich at Blair Castle, a recognition is reserved for a select group of individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to Scotch whisky internationally.
“I was inducted last year, 2025, an incredible honour,” he said.
“There were a couple of teary-eyed moments as I stood in Blair Castle, on historic ground, realising that this was a moment I would remember forever.”
The next chapter for Citizen Kanebridge
Looking ahead, Blainey says Citizen Kanebridge will continue to focus on highly curated experiences, exclusive access, and bringing together like-minded members from Australia’s property, finance, and investment sectors.
“Our baseline of Car of the Year is already one of the most impressive events on the social calendar of Australia,” he said.
“My job is to find a way of raising the bar, taking things to the absolute top level for access, experiences and events.”
Blainey said the long-term goal was not simply to create another networking group or luxury club, but to build a community centred around meaningful relationships and unforgettable experiences.
“We provide the access, the money can’t buy memories, and we will be making those happen regularly,” he said.
“If we start with how amazing Car of the Year is and the only way is up, we are going to have some mind-blowing moments for our members.”
Hospitality at its absolute best
Another major influence on Blainey’s thinking came through his connection with world-famous New York restaurant Eleven Madison Park, once named the best restaurant in the world.
He says two concepts from the restaurant’s owners still shape the way he approaches luxury experiences today: “enlightened hospitality” and “unreasonable hospitality”.
“Enlightened hospitality is a way of doing business that looks at not just the product of what you serve, but how it makes people feel,” Blainey said.
“Unreasonable hospitality is more about striving for the absolute best all the time. If you’re going to do something, do it to an unreasonable level that blows everything else out of the water.”
It is a philosophy, he says, which aligns closely with where Citizen Kanebridge is heading next.
“That’s what we’re doing here with CK, taking members’ experiences to another level,” he said.
Fashion, whisky and creative collaborations
Blainey’s career has also included working with Glenfiddich as a Creative Collaborations Lead, where his role centred on bringing luxury experiences and partnerships to life through designers, chefs, artists and bartenders.
Among the projects were runway collaborations with leading Australian fashion designers, with pieces from the partnerships now housed inside Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum.
“My job was to find a creative way of bringing the brand to life,” he said.
“How do we make something that none of us could make on our own? Searching for the things that will resonate with people.”
What luxury consumers want now
Beyond whisky and events, Blainey also played a key role in building Blackbird Byron, the boutique Byron Bay hinterland retreat later recognised in Tatler’s Top 101 Hotels list.
The property, known for its dramatic views, minimalist architecture, and secluded atmosphere, helped shape his understanding of how luxury consumers are changing.
“I think I learned that people looking for luxury in hotels want memorable moments, considered design and the ability to get away from the hustle and bustle of modern life,” he said.
“To feel at home without being at home is important.”
More broadly, he believes today’s luxury consumers are increasingly driven by authenticity and emotional connection.
“For luxury consumers overall, I think it comes down to craft, story and connection,” he said.
“The product itself has to be impeccable, the story behind it builds your reason for looking at it, and then you need to make a genuine connection with people.”
Interested in becoming a member of Citizen Kanebridge? You can contact Ross here.
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