This refreshing Blackberry Smash recipe is our favorite cocktail to make on hot summer days featuring American bourbon whiskey.
Our quick & easy Blackberry Bourbon Smash features quality whiskey distilled in Kentucky, lime juice, fresh mint, blackberries, simple syrup and splash of soda water.
If you’re looking for the perfect bourbon drink to serve at your next whisky muddled cocktail party, try making this delicious Blackberry Smash.
It’s bubbly, bold, and a whiskey-forward sipper perfect for your next garden party or summer sunset soiree!
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What Is A Blackberry Smash?
A Smash is a classic craft cocktail, going back as far as Jerry Thomas’ 1862 bartending tome How to Mix Drinks. It is a type of julep: a concoction of spirits, sugar, and mint. Extra fruit, either in the form of juice or garnish, makes it a traditional smash recipe. The popular drink is often described as “part mojito and part mint julep.”
Fast forward to 1888 and barman Harry Johnson addresses the Smash directly as a separate cocktail from a julep. His Old Style Whiskey Smash is a simple concoction of sugar, water, mint, small pieces of ice and one wine glass of whiskey (around 2 oz). He added it all to a glass with “fruits of the season,” gave it a mix and served it with a julep strainer.
Other than the fact that his drinks seem to have been strained before serving, Johnson’s Smash recipes resemble many of today’s interpretations. Though there are often more variables these days: sometimes the ice is crushed, shaved or simply served as whole cubes. You can also find the fruit added directly to the drink or sometimes it’s just a garnish. The basic elements remain consistent: a spirit base, ice, water, fresh mint, sugar, and the always present seasonal fruit.
This Blackberry Bourbon Smash recipe must use American whiskey produced on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail for the best results.
Our easy homemade Blackberry Smash features quality bourbon whiskey, fresh lime juice, fresh mint, blackberries, simple syrup and splash of soda.
Blackberry Bourbon Smash Cocktail Recipe Ingredients
This homemade Blackberry Smash is made with premium ingredients:
- Bourbon: we tested this recipe with Kentucky Bourbon brands Evan Williams, Larceny, and Elijah Craig.
- Lime Juice: only use freshly-squeezed lime juice. You can taste the quality difference with store-bought concentrate!
- Fresh Mint: decorate the glass with a fresh mint sprig to give the drink an herbaceous aroma.
- Blackberries: our favourite summer berries are muddled into the glass and served skewered on a cocktail pick as a pretty garnish.
- Soda Water: add a sparkle to the drink with a splash of soda water.
Blackberry Whiskey Smash Cocktail Recipe Tips
This bold and bright Blackberry Whiskey Smash is easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 10 minutes.
Our Blackberry Bourbon Smash recipe serves just one person. If you’re hosting a large gathering feel free to multiply the ingredients by the number of guests and muddle the drink in a festive punch bowl or jug rather than a cocktail shaker.
We love shaking up this recipe on hot summer days for cocktail hour, at gorgeous garden parties, or sipped at sunset. We have a big mint bush growing in our backyard herb garden so tend to make this drink in the warmer months of the where we can pluck mint right into the glass.
Feel free to add additional berry flavour to the cocktail by adding 0.5 oz of Blackberry Liqueur, also known as Crème de Mûre.
You can serve a traditional Blackberry Smash with shaved ice, crushed ice or whole ice cubes. Perfect when you’re looking to quench your thirst on a hot day!
You May Also Enjoy These Whiskey Cocktails…
- Peach Whiskey Sour Cocktail
- Irish Mule Ginger Beer Whiskey Cocktail
- Wheat Beer and Whiskey Cocktail
- Ginger Whiskey Pear Cocktail
- Hawaiian Whiskey Pineapple Sour Cocktail
- Iced Irish Coffee Cocktail
- Cherry Whiskey Sour Cocktail
- Blueberry Buck Whiskey Cocktail
- Fresh Berry Lemonade Summer Whiskey Cocktail
- Perfect Rob Roy Scotch Manhattan
- Scotch Sour Whisky Cocktail
- Irish Whiskey Sour Cocktail
- Bushmills Cocktail Irish Whiskey and Apple Juice
Best Bartender Tools & Cocktail Equipment
Before hosting a swanky Blackberry Smash cocktail soiree you’ll need to ensure you have the best bartender tools and cocktail equipment.
- Cocktail Kit: cocktail kits are the perfect gift for newbie mixology fans as they include basic bartender tools like a jigger, shaker and spoon.
- Cocktail Shaker: a bartender’s best friend. Purchase a premium cocktail shaker to muddle or shake up your favourite pink gin cocktails.
- Cocktail Glassware: make sure your bar is stocked with a selection of unique glassware to show off your favourite cocktail creations.
- Hawthorne Strainer: this unique strainer features tightly wound coils and perforated holes. It keeps ice and other large ingredients like lime wedges in your cocktail shaker rather than in the glass.
- Bar Spoons: slender and long bar spoons are a must-have when stirring drinks.
- Bottle Opener: easily open bottles of beer or cider with the flick of your wrist or purchase a corkscrew for fine wine.
- Pouring Spout: once you’ve opened a new bottle of gin insert these affordable pourers to make cocktail assembly a breeze.
- Cutting Board: purchase a petite cutting board for your bar to slice garnishes or citrus wedges like lime, orange, lemon or grapefruit.
- Ice Bucket: chill bottles of gin quickly in an ice bucket or keep by the bar when muddling gin mixers into cool creations.
- Ice Crusher: fans of the Mint Julep love an ice crusher.
- Ice Cube Kit: we suggest purchasing a selection of ice cube trays. Silicone styles are our favourite as they’re easy to clean and are available in various shapes and sizes.
- Jigger: use a jigger to accurately measure spirits, juices, syrups and shrubs.
- Juicer: invest in an electronic juicer or buy an affordable hand-held to easily juice fresh citrus like lemons and limes.
- Muddler: fans of the Mojito love a sturdy muddler to mix mint and lime. Muddler’s are handy for any cocktail featuring ingredients that need a pounding like fresh herbs or citrus wedges.
- Citrus Peeler & Zester: adorn your craft cocktails with a thick citrus peel or finer ribbons of lime or lemon zest.
- Rimmer: Bloody Mary and Caesar lovers should outfit their bar with a handy rimmer for salting and sugaring glassware.
Types of Whiskey
The wonderful world of whiskey can be confusing for newbies as there is a lot more variety compared to tequila and gin.
Whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash or by distilling beer. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, generally made of charred white oak.
The best way to familiarize yourself with whiskey and find a new favourite is by sipping as many varieties as you can. You’ll find single malt whiskies, blended whiskies, single pot still whiskey and and everything in between.
- Bourbon: An American whiskey, bourbon is made from corn. In fact, to be called bourbon whiskey, the spirit needs to be made from at least 51% corn, aged in a new oak barrel and produced in America. It has no minimum aging period and needs to be bottled at 80 proof or more. Popular Bourbon brands include Ezra Brooks, Wild Turkey, and Maker’s Mark. If you’re making a Kentucky Mule we suggest using Kentucky Bourbon’s like Evan Williams, Larceny, and Elijah Craig.
- Scotch: is made in Scotland with either malt or grain. The spirit must age in an oak barrel for at least three years. Many of the top Scotch bottles are revered for their peaty character. Popular Scotch brands include Johnnie Walker, Ballantine’s and Ardbeg.
- Irish Whiskey: has a smoother flavor than other types of whiskey. It’s made from a mash of malt, can only be distilled using water and caramel coloring, and must be distilled in wooden casks for at least three years. Popular Irish whiskey brands include Jamesons, Bushmills and Green Spot.
- Canadian Whisky: must be barrel-aged for at least three years. It’s lighter and smoother than other types of whiskey because it contains a high percentage of corn. You will find that most Canadian whiskies are made from corn and rye, but can also include wheat and barley. Popular Canadian whisky brands include Canadian Club, JP Wiser’s and Wayne Gretzky Estates.
How To Make A Kentucky Bourbon Mule Drink
Blackberry Bourbon Smash
Equipment
- Shot Glass
- Cocktail Glass
- Cocktail Shaker
Ingredients
- 2 oz Bourbon
- 0.5 oz Lime Juice
- 6 Mint Leaves
- 5 Blackberries
- 0.75 oz Simple Syrup
- 1 oz Soda Water
Instructions
- Combine mint leaves, lime juice and 3 blackberries in a cocktail shaker. Muddle until pulverized.
- Add bourbon, ice and simple syrup and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
- Pour contents into a rocks glass and top with a splash of soda water. Stir and garnish with 2 blackberries and a lime wheel.
Nutrition
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