Continuing with our National Bourbon Month theme, I decided to try a cocktail I’ve wanted to play with for a while: the Whiskey Smash.
Like the Manhattan, there are about a bazillion recipes online for a Whiskey Smash. Some had bitters, some had maple syrup, some called for lemon juice, some called for lemon slices. Shockingly, Martha Stewart’s version called for a mere piddly 1/2 ounce of bourbon! In the end, I decided to try a variation on DrinksMixer.com’s recipe, omitting the water and using Toby Maloney’s technique of muddling the lemon first then gently crushing the mint. My final version uses much less simple syrup and much more mint than the DrinksMixer recipe suggested, but I thought the bourbon and the lemon juice were plenty sweet on their own, and the delicate flavor of the mint won’t come through if you aren’t generous with it. The result was the following:
Bourbon Whiskey Smash (adapted from DrinksMixer.com and Toby Maloney)
2 lemon wedges (1 wedge = ~1/8 of a lemon)
5-6 mint leaves
0.5 Tablespoon (0.25 oz) simple syrup
1.5 oz bourbon (I used Bulleit)
Instructions: Place the lemons in the bottom of a cocktail shaker and muddle them thoroughly. Add the mint leaves and muddle them gently into the lemon. Add the simple syrup, bourbon, and a healthy handful of ice. Shake and strain into an ice-filled glass (or, if you’re me, a glass with two ice cubes). If desired, garnish with more mint.
While I think the Manhattan still owns my heart as my favorite bourbon cocktail, the Whiskey Smash is bright and cheery and absolutely worth adding to your cocktail repertoire. Plus, lemon juice has vitamin C, and I know we’re all very concerned about scurvy.
For a fun variation, next time I think I’ll try my Whiskey Smash with ginger syrup instead of plain ol’ simple syrup. What do you think?
That sounds really tasty.
Ooh, we have mint to use up! And bourbon! (Evan Williams, in part based on your recommendation)
do you like juleps? is it julep-y?
try the ginger and report back! this sounds like a winner.
Hmm. I haven’t had a julep in years, largely because the one time I had one it tasted like sugar and artificial mint flavoring. I suspect it was not a stellar example of the genre. Do you like juleps? Should I add them to the Woozy Wednesday queue?
If a julep tasted like artificial flavoring and sugar, then something was definitely wrong. Should taste of strong bourbon and fresh mint.
Bookish husband thinks you would like the bourbon pomegranate martini. I hate sweet/fruity drinks, but I LOVE THIS DRINK. Bourbon, pomegranate liquor, and pomegranate juice in shaker with ice, then pour that into a martini glass with soda/tonic.
[…] hatred and despair” to “eh, it’s not terrible but I’d rather be drinking a Whiskey Smash.” Not exactly the kind of reaction that inspires enthusiastic blogging. My major problem […]