Whiskey Smash
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 19.4% ABV ∙
The Whiskey Smash is a historic shaken classic built on bourbon, fresh lemon, mint, and simple syrup, served over ice in a rocks glass. Bright and bracing, with a crisp citrus snap and a cooling herbal lift that softens into a smooth, lingering warmth on the finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Fresh mint leaves 8 pcsBourbon 60 mlLemon juice 20 mlSugar syrup 15 ml
- Fine strain into the ice-filled glass
- Garnish with a lemon slice and a mint sprig
Tips
- Shake hard and fine-strain — this keeps the torn mint leaves and pulp out of the glass for a clean pour.
- Taste the lemon before pouring the syrup — very sour lemons may need the sugar syrup nudged up slightly to stay balanced.
History
The Whiskey Smash belongs to the Smash family, a group of American drinks that drinks historian David Wondrich traces to the mid-1840s, with the style at the height of its popularity through the 1850s. The category is essentially a short, muddled version of the Mint Julep, and Jerry Thomas's 1862 guide described it simply as "a julep on a small plan," though the Smash itself was still treated as a julep variant rather than named outright. Bartender Harry Johnson's 1888 manual was the first to address the Smash as its own separate category, including an Old Style Whiskey Smash of sugar, water, mint, ice, and whiskey, alongside a more dressed-up Fancy version.
The style faded after the Civil War era and stayed largely dormant for decades. Bartender Dale DeGroff reworked it with lemon and mint in place of the plain formula, an idea he developed while at New York's Blackbird in the late 1990s and later formalized as the Whiskey Smash for the 2005 opening of Bobby Flay's Bar Americain. That citrus-forward build became the template most modern Whiskey Smash recipes now follow.
FAQ
What is in a Whiskey Smash?
Fresh mint leaves, bourbon, lemon juice, and sugar syrup, shaken with ice and fine-strained into an ice-filled glass. It is garnished with a lemon slice and a mint sprig.
How do you make a Whiskey Smash?
Shake fresh mint, bourbon, lemon juice, and sugar syrup hard with ice, then fine-strain into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass. Finish with a lemon slice and a mint sprig on top.
What's the difference between a Whiskey Smash and a Whiskey Sour?
A Whiskey Sour is bourbon, lemon juice, and sugar syrup with no mint, while a Whiskey Smash adds fresh mint to the shake for a cooler, herbal edge. Both share the same sour backbone of whiskey, lemon, and syrup, but the mint is what sets the Smash apart.
What whiskey works best in a Whiskey Smash?
Bourbon is the standard choice, since its caramel and vanilla sweetness balances the fresh mint and tart lemon well. This build uses bourbon rather than rye, giving a rounder, sweeter result than a spicier rye version would.
How strong is a Whiskey Smash?
About 19.4% ABV as served, which is lighter than a neat bourbon pour thanks to the citrus, syrup, and ice dilution from shaking.
