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Whiskey Smash Cocktail

Discover the signature flavor of a timeless classic with this Whiskey Smash Cocktail! Enjoy smoky whiskey, zesty citrus, and refreshing mint that comes together for an unforgettable sip.
Course Cocktail
Cuisine Cocktails
Keyword whiskey cocktail, whiskey smash
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 2 cocktails
Calories 228kcal

Ingredients

  • 20 mint leaves
  • 2 ounce simple syrup
  • 1 lemon (cut into quarters)
  • 4 ounces bourbon whiskey

Garnish

  • 2 lemon wedges
  • 6 mint leaves

Instructions

  • Get your shaker, muddler (or use the back of a wooden spoon), measuring glass, and glassware.
  • Add mint and simple syrup to the shaker.
  • With a muddler, or the back of a wooden spoon, muddle the mint, syrup, and lemon wedges until the mint is very fragrant. It takes about 1 - 2 minutes.
  • Fish the lemon wedges and most of the mint leaves out of the shaker along with any seeds, and set aside.
  • Add bourbon and 5 - 8 ice cubes.
  • Place the lid on the shaker and shake for 10 seconds.
  • Add fresh ice to the glasses. Strain, divide, and pour the liquid between the two glasses.
  • Add a lemon quarter to both glasses and float the mint leaves on top of the liquid.
  • Sip
  • Smile
  • Enjoy

Notes

Helpful tips
    • One of the most important tips I can impart to you is always washing your citrus well, especially if you either juice it or muddle it as you do here. You even need to wash it if you are using citrus as garnish. The reason why is that you need to remove as many pesticides as you can because you don't want to be drinking residual pesticides.
    • I do it two different ways - Here's how to wash citrus: 1.) I use a cloth that has a rough side and a smooth side. The rough side scrubs the fruit's skin and the smooth side buffs or shines the fruit. Take a lemon in your hand and run cold water over it. Next, take the cloth and rub the skin with the rough side as well as you can. Rinse again with cold water.
    • 2.) Squirt some natural, unscented hand soap in your hand and scrub the skin between your hands. Next, take a vegetable brush and scrub the skin. Rinse the fruit under cold water.
    • Use as many or as few mint leaves in your cocktail as you like. I use between 10 - 20, plus some leaves for garnish.
    • If you don't own a muddler, you can use the back or handle of a wooden spoon.
    • After pouring the liquid into the glasses, you can add some of the muddled mint leaves to the cocktails, but I toss the muddled lemon wedges and cut fresh ones for garnish.
    • Some people use crushed ice in the whisky smash but I think crushed ice melts too fast and waters down the cocktail, so I use BIG cubes that melt slowly.
    • For this whiskey smash recipe, I find that the sweet-to-sour ratio should be more sweet than sour so I use roughly a 2:1 ratio. I find that a medium lemon yields at least one ounce of lemon juice, but you don't need to measure it out as you are muddling the wedges in the cocktail shaker. Just trust me on this, it will be delicious.
  • I'm using Crown Royal whiskey in this recipe because that was my mom's favorite brand, but use whichever you prefer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cocktail | Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 192mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 568IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2mg