Whiskey Smash

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (166 ratings)

Serve in an Old-fashioned glass

Ingredients:
8 fresh Mint leaves
2 oz Bourbon whiskey
34 oz Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
12 oz Monin Pure Cane Syrup (65.0°brix, equivalent to 2:1 rich syrup)
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill an Old-fashioned glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of lemon slice wheel and mint sprigs.
  3. SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
  4. FINE STRAIN into ice-filled glass.
  5. Garnish with lemon slice and mint sprigs bouquet.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 8/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 7/10

Review:

A mint-influenced Whiskey Sour.

View readers' comments

AKA: Bourbon Smash

History:

Adapted from a recipe created in 2005 by Dale DeGroff for the opening of Bobby Flay's Bar American. Dale first published the recipe for this cocktail in his 2002 book The Craft Of The Cocktail, saying, "For a tasty alternative, try substituting orange curaçao for the simple syrup." He repeats this recipe in the 2020 updated edition of the book, and both recipes call for the cocktail to be strained over crushed ice. However, the accompanying photograph in the 2020 edition is of the cocktail with cubed ice. We prefer cubed ice.

WHISKEY SMASH*
I created this whiskey smash recipe for the opening menu of Bobby Flay's Bar American in 2005.

1/2 lemon, cut into quarters
2 or 3 fresh mint leaves
3/4 ounce Simple Syrup
2 ounces Maker's Mark bourbon
Sprig of fresh mint
Lemon wheel, for garnish

Muddle the lemon, mint leaves, and simple syrup in the bottom of a Boston shaker glass. Add the bourbon and ice cubes and shake well. Strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with the mint sprig and lemon wheel.

Dale DeGroff, The New Craft Of The Cocktail, 1920

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Jose Cruz’s Avatar Jose Cruz
25th March at 04:44
Made with Woodsford reserve, very nice indeed, bourbon has a big impact on this cocktail, I pressed my mint with the bourbon before sharking, only makes sense ...
Jose Cruz’s Avatar Jose Cruz
25th March at 04:39
swap 15ml Syrup for 20 ML maple syrup for more flavor and same lv of sweetness
Jose Cruz’s Avatar Jose Cruz
25th March at 04:49
correction had AI do glucose/sucralose analysis is about 18-20% more sweet at 20ML to feel free to replace 1:1
Morten Carlsbaek’s Avatar Morten Carlsbaek
7th March at 16:33
Excellent fresh cocktail for an early, sunny but bit chilly spring Friday afternoon after work. Added 5 ml Benedictine DOM after tasting, even better then.
Eugene Bkln’s Avatar Eugene Bkln
28th January 2024 at 06:04
Amazing summer drink.

Final test really depends on whiskey.
Buffalo trace — soft
Four roses single barrel — spicy
Angels envy — fruity with nice aftertaste
Bryn Maagaard ’s Avatar Bryn Maagaard
24th September 2023 at 18:24
First comment on this site! This was the best whiskey sour variant I have tasted with the addition of Benedictine. Vastly superior to any mint julep.
Paloma Difford’s Avatar Paloma Difford
25th September 2023 at 07:38
Welcome Bryn!
Deyan Kavrakov’s Avatar Deyan Kavrakov
11th August 2023 at 08:56
Another excellent one. An upgraded version of mine reduces the Bourbon to 50 ml and adds 15 ml of Benedictine D.O.M.; splash of soda. It brings more herbal variety and a tad of booziness. Spectacular.
Bryn Maagaard ’s Avatar Bryn Maagaard
24th September 2023 at 18:22
Fantastic suggestion, I reduced it to 10 ml Benedictine but the herbal flavours came through very well still.
John Hinojos’ Avatar John Hinojos
15th June 2023 at 00:38
Wonderful cocktail. Sort of a Whiskey Sour meets a Mint Julep. Nicely sour with a hint of mint. Very enjoyable as an afternoon sipper or before dinner. Refreshing.
Chris Dimal’s Avatar Chris Dimal
22nd June 2023 at 09:04
You're absolutely correct! Exactly what I taste. I vastly prefer this over a Mint Julep.
Jock G’s Avatar Jock G
22nd November 2022 at 20:45
Whiskey sour is always nice but the add on does not really add to what makes a ws great.
Nick Navro’s Avatar Nick Navro
1st December 2021 at 00:44
As with most drinks I now make I substitute sugar syrup for maple syrup. Tried it with this recipe and it's delish.
Gives it a nice little different layer of sweetness
25th August 2022 at 16:30
Same 1/2 for maple syrup? Would like to have a try
Bob Cook’s Avatar Bob Cook
11th July 2021 at 22:38
My wife expressed an interest in this drink, even though she's not always a fan of whiskey cocktails. Neither one of us liked very much it at first, because it was very sour and lemony at the top. But as we got to the middle of the drink, the mint started to kick in, and we agreed that it became a much more enjoyable drink at that point. As a result, I would recommend serving this drink with a small straw so that people taste the minty part of the drink first.