Savor the end of summer with a Whiskey Smash. Muddle together an easy honey-ginger simple syrup, juicy peaches, warm citrus and oaky bourbon, and toast to the last days of warm weather.

About this Whiskey Smash recipe
I know that Labor Day is supposed to signify the “end” of summer, but it’s not officially over for another 2.5 weeks. And here in North Carolina, it’ll be warm until mid-October.
I like fall as much as the next person, but why do we wish summer away? It will be cold before we know it. The last days of summer are upon us, and I plan to milk every moment, with a cocktail in hand.
Preferably, a whiskey smash. It’s a cocktail made with herbs, fresh fruit, a sweetener and and whiskey, usually bourbon. They can be flavored with all kinds of fruits though, from peaches to pumpkin. They are the most refreshing summer cocktails and a great way to use up your summer produce.

Why you’ll love this recipe
The whiskey smash is versatile and delicious! If you’ve never made one, here’s why it might be your new favorite cocktail:
- A whiskey smash is so incredibly easy to make, even if you don’t have a lot of bar tools.
- Play with flavors by muddling other fruits and using flavored simple syrups.
- You can swap out the whiskey for gin, rum or tequila.
This cocktail tastes like sitting on the front porch. I bought a cute rocking chair for our front porch this summer, and that’s my favorite spot to watch the sunset, cocktail in hand.

What is a Whiskey Smash?
A whiskey smash is a cocktail made with herbs, fresh fruit, simple syrup and bourbon. Fresh mint is typical.
Lemon juice is the most common fruit to pair with this cocktail, like a summery, cold version of a hot toddy.
They can be flavored with all kinds of fruits though, from peaches to berries. They are perfect summer sippers.

Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make a whiskey smash:
Simple syrup
Simple syrup is a liquid sweetener made with water and sugar, and sometimes additional flavorings. It is used to sweeten cocktails.
You can use any kind of simple syrup, from lavender to cinnamon to mint. The recipe below uses a sweet-and-spicy Honey Ginger Simple Syrup, but you can be creative with your flavor combinations.
Fruit and herbs
You can use berries, peaches or citrus for a whiskey smash. Traditionally lemon is used, but you can mix it up.
The recipe below uses fresh peaches and lemon juice, as well as fresh mint.
You will want to use fresh fruit that is somewhat soft. This will help you muddle (AKA smash) it into your cocktail to release the juices and essential oils.
Whiskey
Lastly, you will need whiskey for a whiskey smash, of course! There are many types of whiskey you can use, but bourbon is most common.

How to make a Whiskey Smash
Get out your muddler and cocktail shaker and let’s make cocktails. Good to the very last drop!
This Ginger Whiskey Smash features a honey ginger simple syrup, a few smashed peaches, fresh lemon juice and bourbon. This is the kind of drink that celebrates summertime, but pushes you into fall flavors.
In an effort to savor this warm weather, I’m looking for any juicy peaches I can get my hands on, so I can make all the drinks. However, you can use any kind of fruit. Try it with strawberries, blackberries, orange slices or whatever floats your boat.
Ginger and bourbon are two things I love in the fall, too. (Who am I kidding? I love them ALL the time.) They’d be great with some pumpkin spice simple syrup to make a pumpkin whiskey smash.

More summer whiskey cocktails

Whiskey Smash
ingredients
Honey Ginger Simple Syrup
For the cocktail
- 1 ½ ounces honey ginger syrup
- ½ medium peach pitted and sliced
- ½ lemon juiced
- 4 ounces bourbon
- ice
- mint sprig for garnish
- peach slices for garnish
instructions
Honey ginger simple syrup
- In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together sugar and water until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in ginger.
- Bring to boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in honey until combined. Let mixture cool completely.
- Strain mixture into a glass jar. Seal tightly with a lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Whiskey smash cocktail
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle the simple syrup, peach slices, and lemon juice. Smash the peaches to release the juices. Add bourbon and ice. Shake vigorously.
- Pour into 2 jars or rocks glasses filled with ice. Garnish each glass with a slice of peach and a mint sprig.
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