Whiskey Smash

This classic cocktail is a smash hit.

The Whiskey Smash is a fundamental cocktail that every whiskey lover should know. A traditional smash combines fresh lemon juice, bourbon, simple syrup, and mint for a light and refreshing cocktail that works all year round. The drink is also incredibly riffable inspiring variations like the Bulldog Smash, Sweet Tea Smash, and the Suffering Bastard. Enough variations cropped up through the years that the “smash” is recognized as a whole cocktail category. But even in the sea of variations, the Whiskey Smash still holds its own.

The first printed mention of the Whiskey Smash is Jerry Thomas’ 1887 edition of, “The Bartenders Guide,” but historians think it existed long before that. The funny thing is, despite its fame today, the Whiskey Smash might just be a play on the Mint Julep.

Without a doubt, today the “smash”category of cocktails is a cousin to the “julep” category. While a smash is always a julep, a julep isn’t always necessarily a smash. The difference? Well, smashes like to get carried away. A julep is any combo of spirit, sugar, and usually crushed ice, while smashes are a combo of spirit, sugar, ice, and something extra like citrus or fruit – just for fun. 

The American South started making Mint Juleps as early as the 1770s. Originally, they were made as prescriptions for upset stomaches and other ailments, before taking their debaucherous, Derby turn. Funnily enough, the smash never claimed any medical purpose. While the Mint Julep requires bourbon, mint, and sugar, the Whiskey Smash adds that dollop of lemon juice. An itty bitty distinction that managed to create two very different cocktail categories.

Whether or not you claim that the Whiskey Smash is an original or just a Mint Julep in disguise, it’s a smash hit of a cocktail.