The crisp cool air of Autumn makes the perfect setting for some outdoor #MiniFamilyTime. Create this DIY tabletop s’mores maker using upcycled Coca-Cola® Mini glass bottles and use it to enjoy the great outdoors with your family this Fall. If you like this post you may also like this Coke® Can Succulent Planter project. This is sponsored content.
In Kentucky, the summers are hot and humid. If you’re outside it’s usually in a pool, on a boat, or running through a sprinkler because it’s honestly too hot to do anything else outdoors. Okay, maybe I’m a bit of a wimp… you can go outside it’s not THAT bad, but it’s definitely not the best time to be spending great stretches of your day outside.
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Our Fall Family Traditions
My favorite time of the year BY FAR in Kentucky is the Fall. The hot humid days of summer give way to the crisp cool evenings of Fall. The humidity drops as do the temperatures. Rainfall is present but not overwhelming and it’s still warm enough outside to enjoy an evening out on the deck.
As my family grows and kids begin to leave for college, having time together just as a family becomes a bigger deal to me. My youngest just started high school and I can now count on one hand how many years we still have all living under the same roof.
While my days when my kids were younger were spent arranging play dates and visiting friends, I find myself spending the teenage years with my kids “circling the wagons” and coming together more as a family.
Creative S’Mores Ideas
We have a tradition in our family it’s called “Sundaes on Sunday”…It started because my son thought that you could only eat Sundaes on Sunday. He was only 5 at the time and used to ask for his Sundae after dinner on Sunday on a regular basis. We usually got a good giggle out of it.
Over the years the desserts have expanded to include more than just Sundaes and we always try to have some sort of treat on Sunday after dinner.
How to Make a Coke Bottle Tabletop S’mores Roaster
With fall on its way and the outdoors beckoning I thought it would be fun to create a tabletop s’mores cooker. Something small and portable but great for roasting marshmallows. I am so happy with how it turned out!!
Today I’m going to share with you how you can make your own tabletop s’mores roaster, but first, we have to talk about a few things. This project involves fire (duh)… Do not do this if you don’t think your kids are old enough to be safe around said fire.
Also, make sure you read ALL OF the directions and cautions on the torch oil and torch wicks box before you begin. Be smart about it and be safe about how and when you use it.
Make sure that your pipe fittings are secure in the tops of the Coke® bottles, if they are loose it won’t “seal” up enough and can create a hazard.
Don’t overfill the bottles and don’t place the lit bottles in a spot where they can easily be knocked over. Like I said be smart.
Supplies
Okay, to make the s’mores roaster you’re going to need:
6 Coca-Cola® Mini 8oz glass bottles with case
6 tiki torch replacement wicks
Tiki Torch oil – don’t buy the bug repellant variety, it’s full of chemicals you don’t want around your food. Buy all-natural torch oil.
Copper Pipe fittings: ½″ tube caps, 6 ⅜″ couplings with stop, 6 ½″ x ⅜″ coupling-reducing pieces, 6
Instructions
Step one:
Fill a glass with ice
Step two:
Remove the bottle cap and pour the Coca-Cola® over the ice.
Step three:
Drink. Yep, pretty hard. This step of the project is a great one to have your teens help you with, the 8oz mini size is just the right serving size for them.
After you’ve finished wash out the bottle and let them DRY COMPLETELY.
Step 4:
Next, take one of your replacement wicks and cut it about 1″ taller than the bottle. Wear gloves for this step as the wicks are made from fiberglass.
Feed one of the reducing pipe fittings over the wick with the larger end of the fitting facing up. Feed the ⅜″ coupling onto the top of the wick. Slide the two pieces into each other. Make sure it’s snug.
The wick will expand when filled with oil and the pipe fittings help “pinch” off the wick allowing only a specific amount to burn at a time.
Test fit it into a bottle.
Step 5:
Next, use a funnel to pour the tiki torch oil into the bottle. I only filled mine about ½ way.
Re-insert the wick, press down to make sure it’s secure. Give the wick a few minutes to draw up the oil then light.
Since the bottles individually seemed like a bit of a hazard to me (I didn’t want anyone to knock one over on accident) I placed them back into the cardboard box they came in. I simply cut off the top of the box so the cardboard was out of the way of the flames.
Now you’re ready to roast your marshmallows.
We found that it worked best after the flame had burned down a bit (kinda like a campfire) and the marshmallows toasted best when not directly in the flame.
My son likes his marshmallows crispy and just put his right in the flame… boys…
After you’ve made yourself enough s’mores you can leave the torches lit for a little bit of extra ambiance in the evening or you can use the ½″ pipe caps to put the flames out.
I used a pair of tongs to put the caps on the top, watch out it will all be hot!
I love how portable the cooker is and I love that I don’t have to light a bonfire in the backyard to cook s’mores.
Now that I’ve told you how I create #MiniFamilyTime, tell me, what special traditions do you have in your family? I’m always on the lookout for new ideas!
Yarikza Alexander says
I so love the idea!!!! Planning on creating my own with my teenagers…THANKS for SHARING
Diana Nelson says
I love the idea… But honestly this sounds a little toxic. Tiki torches fluid is not something I would roast a marshmallow over. They use this to keep mosquito’s away. Would be a great idea if it was safe
A says
That is why she specifically said what kind of oil to buy, 😉 I had to read it twice to pick up on that.
Sandra says
Even do she said natural tiki torch oil, make sure you can use it for this. It’s still tiki torch oil and they have some type of chemicals. This sound like a great idea, but please, play safe!!! ?
Misty says
I bought the specific pipe fittings and bottle size according to the instructions above, but they are not a snug fit at the top of the bottle at all, they just slip right down into the bottle – isn’t that going to cause a problem as the wick burns and gets shorter?
They need to be a snug fit for the wick, it keeps the fire away from the fuel. I’d take your bottle to the store with you to see which ones fit. I had the coke mini bottles, were yours maybe the full size ones?
Tara says
Same here. I bought the mini Coke bottles and bought the exact same size copper fittings and it’s not snug at all.
hmmm… I’ll go check them again, I was very careful to note the sizes when I purchased them, I made sure to save all of the packaging. I wonder if Coke has changed the size of the mini glass bottles since then.
Kenda Teplate says
So sad..I got everything together sat down to put together but the reducer part falls into the bottle? I double checked the size and yup its 3/8 I’m in Canada would there be a difference ? I know it’s a stupid question..I tried on 6 different mini coke bottles still fell through? Help ..please..thankyou
Kenda
I’m wondering if they have changed the size of the Mini bottles. I did the project last year, that is my best guess. I was really careful to write down all the sizes of the plumbing supplies when I shopped. I’d recommend taking the bottle with you to the store just to be safe.
Bev says
I love this idea. I’m wary of tiki torch oil…has anyone tried this with the refill oil for camping stoves or the little sternos? I don’t know if those burn hotter and could bust the glass