This Blackberry Bourbon Smash combines muddled blackberries, fresh mint, and lemon juice with bourbon, simple syrup, and a splash of ginger beer, creating a refreshing cocktail perfect for any occasion. Garnish with additional blackberries and a mint sprig for a vibrant and aromatic DIY cocktail experience.
Enjoy this Smash Cocktail
I somehow have SO many summer blackberries on hand this time of the year and am looking for fun new ways to use them up! A fruity cocktail recipe felt on brand so I decided to lean into the combination of sweet blackberries and a punch of bourbon.
I don’t usually gravitate towards bourbon drinks, but this one is really tasty! So if you’re like me and feel meh on bourbon, this is a cocktail that may change your mind. And to my bourbon lovers (aka my fiancé), add an additional ounce of bourbon for a strong, more spirit forward experience.
This recipe is simple but sophisticated. Perhaps something you’d find in the summer edit of Imbibe Magazine. It feels like a cocktail I could sip on at a rooftop bar downtown for a summer happy hour. I think you’re really going to love this one!
And if you want to try other berry forward cocktail recipes for a hot summer day, also check out this Blueberry Vodka Lemonade, this Georgia Peach Cocktail or this Strawberry Martini I think you’ll really enjoy, too!
Recipe Inspiration
I’m going to call in my expert fiancé here as the expert bourbon cocktail maker. When we host, he always makes our guests his classic Old Fashioned (typing this, I realize I should put it up on the blog). This isn’t quite the strength of an Old Fashioned, but it is a good starting place.
Recipe Ingredients
- Juicy Blackberries – Fresh berries are the star of the show! It’s blackberry season late spring through late summer, so get them fresh while you can. Smashing them creates a sweet blackberry syrup.
- Lemon and Mint – Two classic smash cocktail ingredients. These will get muddled with the berries.
- Simple Syrup – Just a little bit to highlight the sweet bourbon notes. Use more or less depending on preference and the sweetness of the blackberries.
- Bourbon – Use your favorite bourbon. I used Bulleit for this craft cocktail.
- Ginger Beer – Bubbly for topping.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Bourbon: Substitute with rye whiskey for a spicier kick or a smooth Canadian whiskey. Get really fancy and use infused bourbon.
- Fruit: Try another seasonal fruit like strawberries, raspberries or blueberries for a different berry flavor.
- Sweetener: Replace simple syrup with honey or maple syrup for a richer flavor.
- Bubbly: Instead of ginger beer, use a splash of club soda water, ginger ale or another sparkling beverage.
How to Make This Recipe
1. Add the blackberries (keep a few for garnish), mint leaves, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker. Muddle them until the blackberries are almost completely juiced and mint is crushed. If you don’t own a muddler, use a long wooden spoon to do this.
2. Pour the ice and the bourbon into the cocktail shaker. *Note: if you prefer a stronger cocktail, add an additional ounce of bourbon. Shake vigorously.
Also, if you prefer a smooth drink, strain the shaker before consuming!
3. Fill a rocks glass with ice (I like to have premade large ice cubes on hand). Divide the cocktail into two glasses and top with desired amount of ginger beer. Enjoy!
PRO TIPS
- Have you seen the Driscoll’s: Super Sweet batches? They’ve started packaging their sweetest berries and they are PHENOMENAL (it makes me realize how real fruit should taste haha)
- Make large ice cubes ahead of time with this silicone mold! It makes it feel like a real bartender is serving you.
Recipe FAQs
You can make the cocktail mix in advance and store in the fridge prepped for 2-3 days. The longer it sits, the more infused the bourbon will become. Just save adding the ginger beer until you’re ready to enjoy.
Or if you strain the liquid from the berries, you can keep the cocktail base in your fridge in a mason jar or similar airtight container for a couple of weeks!
Instead of blackberries, a traditional bourbon smash (or really a Whiskey Smash is the original version) uses muddled lemon which we are still using in this recipe, it’s just not the start of the show. The classic smash cocktail is basically a Mint Julep with lemon or a Whiskey Sour with mint.
A “smash” is a type of cocktail that traditionally features a combination of spirit, herb, sweetener, water, and ice. To make a smash, you usually start by muddling the herbs and fruit with the sweetener to release their flavors then adding the spirits and ice to combine all the flavors.
I chose not to strain mine because I enjoy the blackberry pieces in the drink; however, if you prefer a smoother cocktail feel free to use a cocktail strainer when pouring the liquid over ice.
Serving suggestions
- Glassware – serve in a rocks glass or an old-fashioned glass for classic presentation.
- Garnish with fresh blackberries on a cocktail pick, sprig of fresh mint, lemon wedges or fresh lime wedges. Jazz up this simple cocktail with a sugared/lime zest rim (classic for a margarita, not a bourbon cocktail but don’t let that stop your fun!)
- For the perfect summer meal, serve these Blackberry Bourbon Smash cocktails with Pulled BBQ Chicken Sliders and eat on the patio! The barbecue sauce will highlight the sweet and smoky taste of the bourbon.
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Blackberry Bourbon Smash
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker
- muddler / wooden spoon
- jucier
- Cocktail glasses
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh blackberries, ~12-16 berries
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 10 mint leaves
- 1 ½ oz simple syrup
- 3/4 cup ice
- 4 oz bourbon
- 4 oz ginger beer
Instructions
- Add the blackberries (keep a few for garnish), mint leaves, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker. Muddle them until the blackberries are almost completely juiced and mint is crushed.
- Pour the ice and the bourbon into the cocktail shaker. *Note: if you prefer a stronger cocktail, add an additional ounce of bourbon. Shake vigorously. Also, strain the mixture if you prefer a smoother beverage.
- Fill a rocks glass with ice (I like to have premade large ice cubes on hand). Divide the cocktail into two glasses and top with desired amount of ginger beer. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
more of our favorite Cocktail Recipes…
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This Blackberry Bourbon Smash is so good, I’m pretty sure I just time-traveled to a Southern porch in the 1800s, sipping this while debating whether or not to buy a horse. 10/10 would muddle again