Whiskey Smash
- Glass
- Rocks
- Difficulty
- Easy
- ABV
- ~22%
Ingredients
- 2 ozbourbon (old grand-dad 100 proof)60 ml
- 15 ml
- 4 sliceslemon slices (muddled)4 slices
- 4-8 leavesfresh mint leaves4-8 leaves
Instructions
Place 4 lemon slices in the bottom of a shaker tin and muddle firmly — you want the juice and the oils from the peel, so press with intention. Add bourbon, rich demerara syrup, and 4-8 fresh mint leaves (don't muddle the mint — the shaking will extract enough flavor without releasing bitter chlorophyll). Fill with ice and shake hard for 15 seconds. Double strain through a fine-mesh strainer over a large ice cube in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a fresh mint sprig — slap the mint between your palms first to wake up the aromatics. The Whiskey Smash is a bourbon julep's more citrus-forward cousin.
Sips & Tips
Technique
Muddle the lemon but not the mint. This is the key technique. Lemon needs pressure to release its oils and juice from the peel. Mint only needs the agitation of shaking — muddling it releases bitter compounds from the stems and veins. Double straining is essential to catch lemon pulp and mint fragments that would make the drink gritty.
Balance
Old Grand-Dad 100 proof is the ideal bourbon here — its high rye content and proof stand up to the citrus and sweetness without disappearing. Rich demerara syrup (2:1 ratio) adds body and molasses depth that white sugar can't match. If your lemons are very tart, nudge the syrup up to ¾ oz. The drink should taste bright and bourbon-forward, not sour.
History
The Whiskey Smash was popularized by Dale DeGroff at the Pratt House in New York in the early 2000s, though 'smashes' as a category date back to Jerry Thomas's 1862 bar guide. DeGroff's version — with its muddled lemon and mint — became the template for the modern smash, spawning countless variations with different spirits and seasonal fruits.
The Whiskey Smash is summer in a glass — bright, herbaceous, and deceptively strong. It's the drink that converts people who think they don't like bourbon. Cheers.
Variations
Blackberry Whiskey Smash
Add 4-5 fresh blackberries to the shaker with the lemon slices and muddle together. The berries add a jammy sweetness and gorgeous purple color. Reduce the demerara syrup to ¼ oz since the berries bring their own sugar.
Rye Smash
Swap the bourbon for a spicy rye like Rittenhouse. The rye's peppery bite creates a drier, more assertive drink that leans savory rather than sweet. Add a few dashes of Angostura bitters to amplify the spice.
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Whiskey Smash
Glass: Rocks | Difficulty: Easy | ABV: ~22%
Ingredients
- 2 oz bourbon (old grand-dad 100 proof)
- ½ oz rich demerara syrup
- 4 slices lemon slices (muddled)
- 4-8 leaves fresh mint leaves
Instructions
Place 4 lemon slices in the bottom of a shaker tin and muddle firmly — you want the juice and the oils from the peel, so press with intention. Add bourbon, rich demerara syrup, and 4-8 fresh mint leaves (don't muddle the mint — the shaking will extract enough flavor without releasing bitter chlorophyll). Fill with ice and shake hard for 15 seconds. Double strain through a fine-mesh strainer over a large ice cube in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a fresh mint sprig — slap the mint between your palms first to wake up the aromatics. The Whiskey Smash is a bourbon julep's more citrus-forward cousin.