Four simple ingredients create serious refreshment.
About the cocktail
The two best bourbon cocktails? They have to be the Whiskey Sour and the Mint Julep. On the one hand, you have the sweet and sour lemon tang of the Whiskey Sour and, on the other, you have the cool refreshment of mint, bourbon and a whole lot of ice in the Mint Julep. But what if you combined the best bits of both? That would be the Bourbon Smash, and we think it might just be the best bourbon cocktail of all. The Bourbon Smash is based on a modern cocktail called the Whiskey Cobbler from bartender Dale DeGroff (which is a riff on a very old recipe for the Whiskey Smash from Jerry Thomas’s The Bartender’s Guide in 1887). Still with us? This recipe here is a little more streamlined (and, in our humble opinion, delicious) than those two, by simply adding bourbon, lemon juice, sugar syrup and mint leaves into a cocktail shaker and straining over ice. The result is simple summertime splendour. Bourbon and sugar syrup combine for a rich sweetness, lemon juice brings a refreshing zest, and the mint cools things down. The fact that the Bourbon Smash is dead simple as well as endlessly refreshing means we’d be inclined to shake up a few anytime the gang feels like sheltering from the sweltering sun. We’re talking summer brunches, festive barbecues and post-beach afternoons.
Ingredients
50mL bourbon 25mL lemon juice 20mL sugar syrup 8 mint leaves Glass: rocks Garnish: mint sprig and lemon wheel
Method
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker Add ice and shake Strain into the glass and add fresh ice Garnish with mint and lemon wheel
Dan’s top tips
We’ve used lemon juice in this recipe, but Dale DeGroff’s version uses muddled lemon wedges instead. If your lemons are fresh and tasty, that’s a great way to go. You could also get creative and do the same with other fruits, depending what’s in season, like fresh raspberries, mandarins or limes. Just don’t muddle the mint, though – you’ll extract an unpleasant bitterness. Toss those delicate leaves into the shaker and let the oils gently flavour your cocktail. If you’ve ever made a Mint Julep before, you’ll know that the bourbon really shines through. The same is true here, so we’d recommend going with a high-quality bourbon if you can swing it. Basic bourbon will work, of course, but if you’re sitting on a nice bottle, now is the time to use it. You could also use rye whiskey if you prefer a punchier, spicier flavour profile.
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What does a Bourbon Smash taste like?
The Bourbon Smash is a little sweet, a little sour and very fresh from the addition of mint.
What is the best bourbon to use in this cocktail?
We recommend you use a quality bourbon, but the choice is up to you. If all you have is a basic bourbon, this cocktail will still turn out great.
- Can you swap the bourbon for another type of spirit?
You could definitely try rye whiskey here, while other whiskies like Scotch would bring their own flavour.
