Spring

Strawberry Bourbon Smash

“Strawberries are what make life taste wonderful.”
Anthony T. Hincks

It’s strawberry season, and I’ll always find a way to take the earth’s sweet harvest and make a cocktail.  This strawberry bourbon smash has hints of ripe local strawberries, freshly snipped mint and the warmth of a smooth Kentucky bourbon.

The twist?  A dash of dark balsamic instead of aromatic bitters.  It’s subtle, but it adds a little something-something.

I prefer to muddle the strawberries and sugar directly in the bottom of my rocks glass instead of in the cocktail shaker.  The strawberries absorb the warm flavor of the bourbon and offer a succulent sweet treat at the cocktail’s end.  It also adds an element of interest when serving.

Since the strawberries and sugar are muddled together, there’s no need to make a simple syrup like other smash recipes require.  The sugar naturally releases the sweet nectar from the strawberries and provides the perfect essence.

Cheers to the strawberry harvest!

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strawberry cocktail

Strawberry Bourbon Smash

Celebrate the strawberry harvest with a Strawberry Bourbon Smash! Enhanced with fresh mint & a dash of balsamic instead of bitters, serve over crushed ice.
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cocktail, Strawberry
Author: Chasing the Seasons

Ingredients

  • 3 medium strawberries, hulled*
  • 1-2 tsp sugar
  • 6  fresh mint leaves, torn, plus more for garnish
  • 1 ½ - 2 oz Bourbon recommended: Basil Hayden’s
  • 1/2 oz Grenadine optional
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (approx. yield from half of a lemon)
  • 1/4 tsp dark balsamic or 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
  • ice crushed preferred

Instructions

  • In a rocks glass muddle the strawberries and sugar together, fill the glass with crushed ice.
  • In a large cocktail shaker, add the torn mint leaves, bourbon, grenadine, lemon juice and balsamic.  Fill the shaker with ice.  Shake well and strain into the rocks glass.  Garnish with fresh mint sprigs.  Enjoy!

Notes

*Well-ripened strawberries are tender, sweet, and best for muddling.  If you find the berries you have are a bit difficult to muddle, sprinkle the sugar on them in a small bowl and warm in the microwave for a few seconds (anywhere from 5-15 seconds, depending on the ripeness of the berries), or a small saucepan for a minute or two - they’ll mash easily.  Make sure to spoon all the sugary juice into your glass!
If the taste of bourbon is a little too strong for your liking, give the finished cocktail a gentle stir to just barely kick-up some of the sugary strawberry mixture at the bottom of the glass.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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