The HoboHookah team tackles what liquids are best smoked out of your hookah vase.

Especially while pimping the HoboHookah, we get this question a lot: Can you put alcohol in your vase?  Well sure…we mostly like to drink our alcohol, but you can always smoke out of it.  We have also seen specific “hookah juices”, which are probably just re-branded syrups.  So, what is good in the vase?  Well read on Party Pioneers, we give you 4 of the best, most obscure hookah vase additives:

1) Coffee

Coffee is an amazing liquid to throw in your vase. We got this idea while we were in Cairo, at a little bourgie cafe called Tornado’s in Mohandeseen. We were enamored by their cappuccino “Tornado” hookah. It just tasted amazing. Exactly like being at a coffee roaster. Eventually we found out the secret: They added coffee to the vase, and plain old Nakhla shisha to the head.

How to:

1) Get enough coffee for the vase (usually about 2 large cups to less depending on your hookah’s vase), and throw it in the refrigerator for about 1-2 hours. Or use that pot you forgot to drink in the morning. You can cut the coffee with up to 50% water, but more coffee the better.

2) Pack a bowl of either Nakhla or Tangiers Cappuccino/Cocoa (or Starbuzz, if that’s your jam) flavored hookah tobacco.

3) Light it up.

Quality of Smoke: 9/10

2) Red Wine

Red Wine is our favorite alcohol to smoke out of, mostly because you can buy it cheap in the quantities you need for hookah smoking. With Red Wine, the smoke will take on a little bit of grape flavor and produce much denser smoke. Its also a great “wow” factor for your next hookah get together.

How to:

1) We recommend getting some Carlo Rossi, preferably their Sangria concoction, which should be easy to find and cheap. If you have time available, chill the wine, and fill the vase. Presto. For you HoboHookah owners out there, we recommend buying the big, gallon jug, drinking it down halfway and then just pop the HoboHookah on there. The Carlo jug makes a great hookah for Party Pioneers, impossible for a jackal to tip it over.

2) Pick your favorite fruit flavored tobacco: Lemons, Oranges , Grapes all work the best, and pack your bowl. Mix them together to make Sangria Hookah Tobacco.

3) Light it up.

Quality of Smoke: 7/10

3) Milk

Okay, we get it: Adding milk to your hookah vase and then smoking through it is weird, right? Wrong. Milk is a great addition because it will work with just about any flavor and give you a dense, creamy smoke. Plus its pretty cheap. There are two things you need to know though: Milk will bubble up. If you have a short hookah, the bubbles could get into your hookah and into the hose. Then its game over. The other thing: Milk has a tendency to go rancid, so right after your smoke clean your hookah as thoroughly as possible. Milk works great with the Hobo because of the long down stem and easy cleaning.

1) Get skim milk, to prevent bubbling and to limit the milky flavor. Make sure its nicely chilled as well and not expired. Fill your vase. In addition, you may cut the milk with water, to prevent the bubbling effect.

2) Add any tobacco you’d like. It should just add a mild milky note, but most of all, produce a thicker smoke.

3) Light it up.

4) Clean out your hookah, thoroughly with hot soap and water. Even the hose.

Quality of Smoke: 7/10

4) Tonic Water

Tonic Water? Why would that be good? Well, the trick with tonic water is that is contains quinine, which has a florescent property to it. Ever notice how at clubs every drink looks like it is, except for Gin and Tonics? Well under black lights quinine will produce the bluish glow. This is a great way to light up your hookah, and get everyone one’s eye’s buzzing. But pay attention, is easier said than done:

1) Get about a 1-2litres of tonic water. Tonic Water is carbonated, which is not cool to smoke out of. You need to first open the bottles, and let them sit out: shaking and using a straw to blow bubbles through them every so often to release as much of the carbonation as possible. The goal is to have tonic water that doesn’t fizz at all. If it does fizz, you will not be able to smoke out of it.

2) Get a hookah with a very clear vase. The glass can’t be frosted or otherwise colored. The black light needs to be able to get into the bottle to fluoresce the tonic water. For HoboHookah owners, the 1.75 of plain Absolut Vodka is the best vase. Empty the bottle/vase and throw in the tonic water. You can cut it with up to 50% water, but the more tonic water there is, the better the effect.

3) Organize a few black lights near the hookah smoking area. If you have a glass table, throw a couple under there, and setup the hookah. That should get your bottle nice and blue when the lights go out.

4) Get some really powerful hookah tobacco. Anything too subtle will be eclipsed by the flavor of the tonic water. Try mint, grape, lemon or peach. These flavors are usually very pronounced, and you shouldn’t be able to taste the tonic.

5) Light it up. If there is a little carbonation still there, the first hits will be rough. But it will smooth out after that.

Quality of Smoke: 6/10, with a high coolness factor.

And that’s what’s in our hookah vase. Remember to not drink the liquid after you smoke it, no matter how good it may smell.  Disclaimer: Understand that milk CAN and WILL go rancid if not cleaned out of your hookah promptly after use.  Also, that quinine has some undesirably traits, that may cause health problems. Read up here. Just be smart.  Hobocans LLC is absolved of all responsibility for your actions and the contents of this article do not constitute a recommendation for what you should or shouldn’t do.

That was nice.  We’ll keep on bringing the hookah tips, you stay classy Party Pioneers.