Bourbon Smash

Bourbon Smash

  • Robust
  • Slightly tart
3.1 average

Ingredients

  • 10 fresh Mint leaves
  • 2 oz Bulleit Bourbon
  • 3⁄4 oz Lemon juice
  • 1⁄2 oz Monin Pure Cane Syrup
  • 1⁄2 oz Sugar syrup 'rich'
  • 3 drop Saline solution 4:1
  • 3 drop Saline solution (20g sea salt to 80g water) or merest pinch of s optional

Method

Glass:

Photographed in an Urban Bar Freddo Old Fashioned

Prepare:

  1. Select and pre-chill an OLD-FASHIONED GLASS.
  2. Prepare garnish of mint sprigs bouquet.

How to make:

  1. Lightly MUDDLE mint in base of shaker (just to bruise).
  2. Add other ingredients and SHAKE with ice.
  3. FINE STRAIN into ice-filled glass.

Garnish:

  1. Garnish with mint sprigs bouquet.

Review:

The lovechild of a Mint Julep and Whiskey Sour, mint and bourbon sit together brilliantly in this simple sour.

Variant:

Maple Bourbon Smash
Whiskey Smash

History:

The modern-day notoriety and popularity of the Bourbon Smash is mainly thanks to Dale DeGroff featuring his riff on a Whiskey Cobbler (which called for two muddled orange wedges shaken with whiskey and sugar) in his 2008 book The Essential Cocktail. Dale's "Bourbon Smash" recipe is similar to above but calls for two muddled lemon wedges in place of the juice.

The first "Whiskey Smash" was published in the posthumously published 1887 Jerry Thomas' Bar-tenders Guide (Jerry "The Professor" Thomas died 15th December 1885) where it follows similar "Brandy Smash" and "Gin Smash" recipes. These "Smash" recipes omit citrus juice and are essentially Juleps. Indeed, the three "Smash" recipes follow six "Julep" recipes in the book.