“Strawberries are what make life taste wonderful.”
–
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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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 (optional), lemon juice and balsamic. Fill the shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs. Enjoy!
Notes
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