americancocktailbourbonmintlemonveganclassicno-cook

Bourbon Smash

Name: Bourbon Smash
Prep time: 7 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 120 ml bourbon; 1 medium lemon; 16 leaves fresh mint leaves; 30 ml simple syrup; 300 g ice cubes; 2 sprigs fresh mint sprigs; 2 slices lemon slices

Bourbon Smash is bright, cold, and deeply refreshing, balancing the warmth of bourbon with fresh lemon and cooling mint. The result is a simple but elegant cocktail with citrus snap, herbal lift, and just enough sweetness to round it out.

10 min

2 servings

164 kcal

American

Ingredients

For the cocktail

120 mlbourbon
1 mediumlemon
16 leavesfresh mint leaves
30 mlsimple syrup
300 gice cubes

For garnish

2 sprigsfresh mint sprigs
2 sliceslemon slices

Instructions

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.
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.
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.
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.
5
Garnish each glass with a lemon slice and a mint sprig. Serve immediately while icy cold.

Nutrition per serving

164 kcal

Calories

Protein

Carbs

Fat

Fiber

Notes

•If you prefer a brighter, tarter smash, reduce the simple syrup to 20 ml total.
•Crushed ice gives the most classic presentation and extra-fast chilling, but regular ice cubes work perfectly well.
•For the best aroma, lightly clap the mint sprigs between your hands before garnishing.
•A short tumbler or rocks glass is the traditional choice for serving this cocktail.

Background

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.

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