Big Smoke

Biography
Big Smoke was a high-ranking member of the Grove Street Families who later defected to the Ballas, and made clandestine deals with the Los Santos Vagos and Russian Mafia, eventually becoming the most powerful crook in the criminal underworld of Los Santos.

Big Smoke makes multiple references to his desire to be remembered after his death.

Big Smoke appears to speak some Spanish, as seen in the mission Running Dog. He tries to get weed from some Vagos members and after being cursed at, he threatens one of the Vagos members who then responds with "Chinga a tu madre, pendejo" which roughly translates into "Fuck your mother, dickhead".

Background
Big Smoke was born in Los Santos, likely in Ganton due to his close relationship with Sweet and Carl Johnson, and he later joined the Grove Street Families. He rose through the ranks of the gang until he became Sweet's right-hand man, Carl's departure in 1987 following his brother's death helped Smoke and Sweet develop a closer relationship.

Big Smoke quotes from the Bible on many occasions, hinting that he may be religious, though Carl claims he's "still talking shit."

Big Smoke was born in Los Santos and originally lived in Ganton, but moved to Idlewood after buying a house with some money he claims his aunt left him in her will. The Grove Street Families, however, began to lose influence and status among the city gangs, noticing that the Ballas, who control Idlewood, were selling drugs to fuel their rising influence. He then tries to persuade Sweet to allow the Grove Street Families to sell more potent drugs (since the Families already sell marijuana and PCP), although Sweet refuses because he believes crack cocaine has a destructive influence on the communities that they're sold in.

At some point, Big Smoke forms a clandestine alliance with the Ballas and begins to cooperate with them. Smoke later includes the Los Santos Vagos and the Russian Mafia, who were hoping to get a foothold in Los Santos, into his new alliance. They also form an alliance with the Loco Syndicate who began supplying them with various drugs from their base in San Fierro, although he doesn't realise that an undercover government agent is monitoring in the operation.

In 1992, after failing to convince Sweet, he goes to Ryder and convinces him to join forces with the Ballas, who later attempt to kill Sweet but fail, instead killing his mother. The death of Beverly Johnson leads to her son, Carl, returning from Liberty City, and Carl meets Smoke inside his childhood house. Smoke initially mistook Carl for a burglar, but immediately accepts the return of his old friend, contrary to Sweet, who remains initially hostile. It is not until later in the game that his true intentions with the Ballas-C.R.A.S.H. unit are revealed, but on several occasions prior to his exposure as a traitor, many subtle hints appear foreshadowing it.

Smoke appears alongside Carl, Sweet, and Ryder in the first mission in the game, and also later appears at the funeral of several GSF members. However, during the mission, the attackers will only attack Carl and Sweet, avoiding Smoke and Ryder. He also appears playing basketball with Sweet in Tagging up Turf, and also briefly appears in Cleaning the Hood at Sweet's house. In the mission Drive-Thru, Sweet, CJ, Smoke and Ryder decide to eat at Cluckin' Bell; however, they are attacked by Ballas whilst dining. Smoke's refusal to shoot at the Ballas (claiming that he would only shoot when he was done eating) was another hint to his betrayal. After appearing in the introductory scene of Nines and AKs, Smoke later helped the gang in the mission Drive-By. After this, Smoke gives his own missions to Carl; the first is to collect an old friend (OG Loc) from Pershing Square police station as he has been paroled from prison. The next is to help Smoke eliminate a Vagos member. In the mission Wrong Side of the Tracks, before Smoke and CJ work to kill more Vagos, Frank Tenpenny and Eddie Pulaski are seen leaving Smoke's house; however, Smoke's comment that they are simply "nosey" hints that he is not-so-hostile towards them. CJ would then later assist Smoke in taking down Russian Mafia members in the mission Just Business, and Smoke would later assist CJ, Ryder and Sweet in the mission Reuniting the Families.

=== The San Peoples Land GalleryThis exotic sipper from Imbibe’s 2013 Cocktail Bar of the Year, Pouring Ribbons, is a little smoky, a little nutty and perfectly bright.This exotic sipper from Imbibe’s 2013 Cocktail Bar of the Year, Pouring Ribbons, is a little smoky, a little nutty and perfectly bright. === In the absence of both Sweet and Carl, Smoke and Ryder disband the Grove Street Families, leaving Ganton and all other Grove Street territory in the hands of the Ballas. A few Grove Street Families members, meanwhile, begin working as drugs smugglers, taking them from the Loco Syndicate factory in Doherty, San Fierro back to Los Santos. Cesar Vialpando, discovers this and alerts Carl Johnson, who stops a number of the suppliers from reaching Los Santos in order to disrupt the flow of drugs into the city. Carl and Cesar later photograph Ryder with three men, later identified as Jizzy B., T-Bone Mendez and Mike Toreno. Carl, upon returning to his garage in San Fierro has Wu Zi Mu and his Triad allies discover more about the trio.

Carl then begins to work for Jizzy B, attempting to gather more information on the operation, and later gains his trust. Carl, however, later kills Jizzy, San Fierro Rifa leader T-Bone Mendez and undercover agent Mike Toreno(or so he thought) as well as Ryder, before destroying their drug manufacturing factory, stopping the supply back to Los Santos. Smoke, however, is undeterred and instead starts his manufacturing plant in East Los Santos. He also begins working as the manager of OG Loc, an aspiring rapper and childhood friend of both Smoke and Carl, who aided him by sabotaging the career of rap superstar Madd Dogg. He also attempts to make himself sound like a philanthropist when talking on West Coast Talk Radio (which can be heard on the radio anytime after the mission Pier 69). Saying that he is using his money to try and stop the sale of drugs in Los Santos, despite being the major drug baron of the city.

Big Smoke, like Ryder, continues to wear green clothing after his betrayal of the Grove Street Families becomes common knowledge. This is because Big Smoke and Ryder only have one coded outfit.

☀After a few months hiatus, Mixology Monday has resurfaced. I am much pleased as this monthly challenge usually gets me thinking in a new way and August’s theme of Brown, Bitter and Stirred hosted by Lindsey Johnson was no different.

Brown, Bitter and Stirred immediately suggested a Manhattan and as I’d already been wondering how to use some tobacco-infused whisky I’d been planning to make,  the two naturally seemed to come together. Having previously and successfully dabbled with tobacco in drinks (a cigar-infused bourbon – a smooth, quite sweet experience) I felt it was time to up the ante and get some hardcore smokiness into the bottle.

So  I paid a visit to Smith & Sons tobacco shop on Charing Cross road. Without preamble, I asked for  a tobacco  that would be good to infuse whisky with which the chap in the shop was a bit bemused by at first – “So, you don’t want to smoke it, you want to, er, drink it??” After a few questions he realised I didn’t have a clue what I wanted so opened a few jars for me to sniff.

I dismissed the first few samples as too sweet (I’ve seen on some American sites that Black Cherry tobacco is popular for infusing but the version I sniffed was artificial and rather sickly) and the chap reached for Old London blend. Intensely smoky, even peaty, I felt it would give a darker, charred flavour than the cigar infusion, which was exactly what I was looking for.

I’d originally planned to use a peaty style Scotch but as  I had some Glenmorangie that had been knocking around for a while,  I thought it best to use that up. It worked brilliantly as the sweetness of the Scotch is exactly what was needed to counteract and complement the peaty tobacco.

I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going with this Manhattan so, as I’d started this journey being led by my nose, I thought it best to let the old olfactory receptors finish the job. Whipping out the most likely suspects from the cocktail cabinet, I inhaled from each bottle until I felt I’d got a good balance.

The result confirmed what the nostrils had indicated as a good match. It was the first time I’ve made a drink by sense of smell but I enjoyed this drink so much I dare say it won’t be the last. And discoveries like that is what Mixology Monday is all about. Swill a martini glass with the tobacco-infused whisky. Add with the rest of the ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir thoroughly. Pour into the martini glass and garnish with a cherry.

Those with  a sweeter tooth might like to add a dash of maraschino syrup to taste.Smoked beers are not just heady warmers built for brisk winter nights. New Zealand brewery 8 Wired has grilled fare on the mind with its take on rauchbier. The Big Smoke smoked porter is deceptively light, with a relatively low ABV of 6.2% and a mouthfeel that’s more akin to a summer shawl than a winter parka. The beechwood smoked malt integrates nicely with flavors of baking chocolate, raisin and nutty undertones. There’s even a rousing finale, in the form of Southern Cross and Willamette hops, which add a pleasing jolt of bitterness and cut into the mild sweetness of the malt bill. $10 per 16.9 oz. bottle, 8wired.co.nz. This exotic sipper from Imbibe’s 2013 Cocktail Bar of the Year, Pouring Ribbons, is a little smoky, a little nutty and perfectly bright.

Our beers. Since August 2014 we've been brewing in the former stables at the back of The Antelope in Surbiton. We brew the kind of beer that we like to drink: Flavourful, seasonal and drinkable. Our current range of beers represents years of tweaking, trialling & tasting. The majority of our output is sold at our pubs,

The San Peoples Land 2 Gallery
Since August 2014 we've been brewing in the former stables at the back of The Antelope in Surbiton.

We brew the kind of beer that we like to drink:  Flavourful, seasonal and drinkable. Our current range of beers represents years of tweaking, trialling & tasting.

The majority of our output is sold at our pubs, The Antelope and The Albion, although you can find our beer at other quality outlets in London and beyond. Big Smoke Alehouse in Maple Ridge is West Coast BBQ with a community focus. We support our local farmers and serve up smoked food to unite the carnivore’s taste buds. Our meats are smoked long and low with a blend of hickory and cherry woods, and although they taste great on their own, we sauce up your meat to the way we think it ought to taste—enjoy!

We are to proud to serve a menu that has so much choice to meet your dietary needs. Most of the menu is created to be gluten free including our gravies, soups, sauces, cornbread, and even our brownie. If you have a specific allergy, please let your server know and we will do our best to accommodate your needs. Rochdale Cenotaph is a First World War memorial on the Esplanade in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, in the north west of England. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, it is one of seven memorials in England based on his Cenotaph on Whitehall in London, and one of his more ambitious designs. The memorial was unveiled in 1922 and consists of a 10-metre (33 ft) pylon, topped by an effigy of a recumbent soldier, and Lutyens' characteristic Stone of Remembrance. A public meeting in February 1919 established a consensus to create a monument and a fund for the families of wounded servicemen. The meeting agreed to commission Lutyens to design the monument.