Some food, some drink.

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Abstract:

I sacrificed a small patch of my backyard to a weed known as mint in the hopes that mojitos and juleps might become mainstay in my home bar. When once I was faced with a lack of top-shelf anything, my search for a suitable cocktail brought me to the whiskey smash; a consummate balance of citrus, mint, and sour mash spirits.

Purpose:

You can also click here to check out the video companion episode to this recipe if you're so inclined to watch a fella shake and smash in real-time. Enjoy!

My introduction to the whiskey smash came about a year ago when I was wanting whiskey and I was also wanting to use all that fresh mint that threatened to overrun the northeast corner of my backyard. My house bourbon could have probably handled a julep in a pinch, but I was out of crushed ice, and you gotta have crushed ice for a julep. After a quick search, I discovered the whiskey smash in the comments of this article. My technique is one that does away with a proper muddle and uses the shaker and the weight of the ice to do the smash, as not everyone has a muddler. When folks are over for a drink and you reach for your shaker, they almost always think they're getting something special. I like this cocktail not only because it's easy to mix, but also because it brings a 'casual-cool' to the home bar.

Observation:

• The whiskey smash is in the the sour family. Most anything with booze, citrus and a little sweet qualifies.
• Never made simple syrup? Not a big deal. It hardly warrants a recipe, but I'll give ya one anyway.
• You can infuse mint into your syrup as well if more mint is your thing. The simple syrup recipe has mint options.
• Keep your syrup in the fridge, unless you're looking for a science experiment.
• Fresh lemons (not bottled juice) are really the way to go here. The trip thru the shaker beats the the essential oils out of the juiced lemon corpse, adding depth of flavor.
• How much to shake? Shake the hell out of it 'till the shaker just begins to ice over. With my shaker, that's about the time my hands get “brain freeze”.

Results:

Go on, admit it – you haven't taken your cocktail shaker down from that dusty shelf above your bar since you discovered the hard way that you weren't a martini person. I'll forgive you, but you're gonna need to try a whiskey smash on your road to adult beverage reconciliation. The hardest part about this drink is making the simple syrup, but truthfully if you want a well-stocked home bar, you need to keep simple syrup on-hand anyway.

Although any whiskey will do, don't break the bank on your selection. The tang of the citrus and that hint of mint will dispatch with any subtleties in your top-shelf hooch, so just pick what tastes good. I've also smashed with rye and Canadian blended whiskeys; both are great.

This drink embodies summer. Shaking on ice and then pouring over ice again means a really cold beverage. Think: lemonade with a kiss of mint, warmed with that oaken tang that only bourbon can bring to the party.

Gallery:

I picked the most inhospitable place in my backyard to grow my mint. Shady and littered with pine needles, and yet it thrives...

I picked the most inhospitable place in my backyard to grow my mint. Shady and littered with pine needles, and yet it thrives...

Here's everything you need to make this drink. There's ice in the shaker; you'll just have to take my word for it.

Here's everything you need to make this drink. There's ice in the shaker; you'll just have to take my word for it.

Two different syrups: Mint on the left, simple syrup on the right. Smash in accordance with your tolerance for mint.

Two different syrups: Mint on the left, simple syrup on the right. Smash in accordance with your tolerance for mint.

If your shaker looks like this, then you have smashed sufficiently. No glass or plastic shakers, please.

If your shaker looks like this, then you have smashed sufficiently. No glass or plastic shakers, please.

My finished whiskey smash. Yes, I said "my". Go smash your own; I'm thirsty.

My finished whiskey smash. Yes, I said "my". Go smash your own; I'm thirsty.

The smash is one of the most refreshing whiskey cocktails you'll ever sip on. Bartender, another round!

The smash is one of the most refreshing whiskey cocktails you'll ever sip on. Bartender, another round!