Bourbon Smash

Nutrition · per serving

Steps

1. 1

   Cut the lemon in half. From one half, cut 2 thin slices for garnish, then juice the rest of the lemon; you should have about 45 ml juice. Pick the mint leaves from the stems. Fill 2 short glasses with some of the ice to chill them while you mix the drinks.

   1 medium lemon16 leaves fresh mint leaves300 g ice cubes
2. 2

   In a cocktail shaker, add the mint leaves and simple syrup. Muddle gently just until the mint is bruised and aromatic; do not shred it heavily or the drink can become bitter.

   16 leaves fresh mint leaves30 ml simple syrup
3. 3

   Add the bourbon, 45 ml fresh lemon juice, and about 200 g of the ice. Shake hard for 10-15 seconds, until the shaker is very cold and the drink is well chilled and slightly diluted.

   120 ml bourbon1 medium lemon300 g ice cubes
4. 4

   Discard the chilling ice from the glasses and fill them with the remaining fresh ice. Double-strain the cocktail evenly into the glasses to catch mint bits and lemon pulp for a smoother texture.

   300 g ice cubes
5. 5

   Garnish each glass with a lemon slice and a mint sprig. Serve immediately while icy cold.

   2 sprigs fresh mint sprigs2 slices lemon slices

Origin & History

The Bourbon Smash is a classic American whiskey cocktail descended from the 19th-century 'smash' family of drinks, which combined spirit, sugar, mint, and seasonal fruit over ice. It became especially associated with bourbon in the United States, where lemon and mint create a fresh, lively counterpart to the whiskey's vanilla and oak notes.