Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Bourbon Cocktails

Bulldog Smash

bright-yellow Bulldog Smash cocktail in a rocks glass, garnished with a sprig of fresh mint leaves

Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

The Whiskey Smash is a classic cocktail that dates back to at least 1887 (and probably much earlier), when it first appeared in print in the “Bar-Tender’s Guide” by Jerry Thomas. It’s a refreshing drink that merges whiskey with sugar, citrus and mint. It gets its name because the citrus and mint are “smashed“ or, to be precise, muddled. Of course, the Whiskey Smash is a riff on the Mint Julep, that traditional combination of bourbon, sugar and mint.

But this here is the Bulldog Smash, a seasonal, peachy spin on both classic cocktails. To make it, you’re going to need all of the ingredients below, plus a muddler, a handy tool used to extract juice and oils from ingredients like fruit, herbs and citrus peels.

After muddling the lemon wedges and peaches with your sugar and mint, you’re left with a mash of sweet, tart, minty fruit that adds flavor and body. From there, you’ll add the bourbon, which provides the drink’s boozy backbone, as well as the Cointreau, a French orange liqueur that amplifies those rich fruit notes.

The Bulldog Smash tastes great all year-round, but the fusion of bourbon, peach, lemon, mint and crushed ice is especially effective during the hot summer months. Mix yourself a drink, find a porch swing and enjoy the long days with a cold drink in hand.

Ingredients

  • 6 fresh mint leaves

  • 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges

  • 1/2 peach, pitted and diced

  • 1 teaspoon simple syrup

  • 2 ounces bourbon

  • 3/4 ounce Cointreau

  • Garnish: mint sprig

Steps

  1. In a shaker, muddle the mint leaves, lemon, peach and simple syrup.

  2. Add the bourbon and Cointreau, plus ice, and shake until well-chilled.

  3. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass filled with crushed ice.

  4. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Mint Sprig Garnish

Firmly slap the mint sprig on the back of your hand before garnishing; this releases the oils to make the mint more aromatic.