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This maple bourbon smash is made with fresh muddled fruit and herbs, bourbon, and a splash of ginger beer. It’s filled with crushed ice, making it the most refreshing and delicious cocktail for all occasions.
Table of Contents
Need another cocktail recipe? Try this Irish mule, spiced winter sangria, or pumpkin spice white russian next!
Ingredients You Need
Here are the key ingredients for this bourbon smash recipe and a few substitutions. Skip down to the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Maple syrup: I used grade A dark amber maple syrup. You can use sweeteners like agave or honey. Granulated sugar works too, just make sure it’s completely dissolved.
- Spices: cinnamon sticks, star anise, and fresh ginger are so cozy. Leave this out if you’re serving it during the summer!
- Citrus: orange wheels and lemon wedges are smashed to add fresh citrus juice.
- Bourbon: bourbon is a type of American whiskey. You can use any brand you like, but Kentucky bourbon is always a popular choice!
- Orange bitters: add a few drops of these for extra citrus flavor!
- Ginger beer: I love ginger beer in this, but you can use ginger ale or club soda.
- Ice: normally I don’t include water and ice in our ingredient lists, but fresh ice is a must in this recipe. You can’t have a smash without crushed ice!
- Rosemary: for holiday flavors. Fresh basil or a mint sprig are also good options.
How to Make a Maple Bourbon Smash
Here are the steps to make this bourbon maple smash drink. Jump down to the recipe card for the full recipe.
- Simple syrup: add the maple syrup, water, spices, and ginger to a saucepan over medium heat and boil for 2-3 minutes. Strain out the spices and allow the simple syrup to cool slightly.
- Muddle: add the orange wheel, fresh rosemary, and equal parts orange and lemon juice to a shaker tin. Use a cocktail muddler or the back of a spoon to press the juices out of the citrus and herbs.
- Shake the cocktail: pour the rest of the ingredients into the shaker and shake or stir together.
- Serve: pour the cocktail over crushed ice and top with a bit of soda water, ginger beer, or ginger ale.
What is a Smash Cocktail?
The most well-known smash is the mint julep made with spirits and fresh mint leaves. It’s a perfect example of what a smash is all about: fresh fruit to smash, fresh herbs to muddle, and simple syrup to make it sweet, all served over crushed ice. Jerry Thomas introduced this drink as a spin-off of the traditional whiskey sour in his book “The Bartender’s Guide” published in the late 1800s.
Smashes are great because they can highlight seasonal fresh ingredients. We’re using fresh citrus and rosemary in this recipe, but you can easily make it in the summer with blackberries or peaches.
Recipe Variations
- Rim the glass with spices: use the sugar rim from this winter sangria.
- Blackberry bourbon smash: omit the rosemary and spices, and add smashed blackberries and basil to muddle.
- Peach bourbon smash: omit the rosemary and spices, and add smashed peaches and mint to muddle.
- Big batch for a crowd: make the simple syrup and put it in a pitcher. Muddle 6-8 orange wheels with fresh rosemary, 1/2 cup lemon juice, and 1/2 cup orange juice in a pitcher. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of bourbon, 8-10 dashes of orange bitters, and all of the simple syrup.
Tools You Need
Stock your bar with all the necessary tools to make a delicious cocktail. I use these this apple cider sangria too.
Cocktail shaker: invest in one of these if you love bourbon cocktails.
Rocks glass: serve your bourbon smash in a classic whiskey glass, often called a lowball glass. They’re perfect for an old fashioned or any whiskey cocktail. I have these double old fashioned glasses as well as these etched old fashioned glasses.
Long cocktail spoon: I use this bar spoon all the time. It stirs everything well and has a muddler.
FAQs and Quick Tips
Bourbon is a type of whiskey and the only alcohol recommended in a bourbon smash, where you can use any variety of whiskey (ie bourbon, scotch, etc) in a whiskey sour. Additionally, the fruit (lemon) is muddled in a smash compared to squeezed in a sour.
Use the crushed ice function on your fridge, if you have one, or throw some ice cubes in a blender and pulse a few times. You can also put it in a freezer bag and smash with a frying pan!
To keep it really simple, skip making the maple simple syrup with cinnamon and use only maple syrup in the bourbon smash. This cuts down on cook time and the drink is still delicious!
How to Prep and Store
To store leftover maple bourbon smash cocktails, remove the fresh fruit and store it in a jar with a lid for up to 3 days. Serve over crushed ice and top with your choice of bubbly drink before serving.
To make it in advance, follow the instructions to muddle and mix the cocktail. Cover and store for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to serve, pour it over ice and top with club soda or ginger beer.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
Maple Bourbon Smash Recipe
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Ingredients
Spiced Maple Simple Syrup (makes 6 servings)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks
- 1-2 star anise
- 1- inch fresh ginger
Bourbon Smash
- 1 orange wheel
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary plus a sprig for serving
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 5 drops of orange bitters
- Ginger beer or soda water for topping
Instructions
- To make the maple simple syrup, pour the water, and maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat then add the cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger, star anise, and rosemary and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium low and simmer for 2-3. Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool slightly while you make the rest of the drink.
- To make the cocktail, add the orange wheel, fresh rosemary, lemon juice, and orange juice in a cocktail shaker or glass jar. Muddle the ingredients together using a muddler or the back of a spoon to release the juices. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the spiced maple syrup then store the remaining simple syrup in a glass jar with a lid in the fridge for up to 1 week (see notes to use it for a large batch). Next, pour in the bourbon and orange bitters, and shake well to combine.
- Add crushed ice to a glass then strain the drink over the ice. Top with ginger beer, ginger ale, or soda water. Gently stir and garnish with fresh fruit and rosemary.
Notes
Video
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker
- Bar spoon and muddler
- Cocktail glasses
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
