Maple Bourbon Smash
Bourbon, lemon, maple syrup and mint over cracked ice. The Whiskey Smash with maple for sugar — rounder and woodier, and the autumn smash that bridges summer mint and winter maple.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Muddle the lemon wedges in a shaker with the maple syrup.
Add the mint leaves and press gently, then add the bourbon and bitters.
Fill with ice and shake for 10 seconds.
Strain over cracked ice in a rocks glass and garnish with a slapped mint sprig.
A thoughtful finish
- Real maple; pancake syrup is corn syrup.
- Half an ounce; maple is sweeter than simple syrup.
- A cinnamon stick as garnish turns it toward winter.
Common mistakes
- Pancake syrup.
- Shredding the mint.
- Too much maple.
A few good questions.
What does a Maple Bourbon Smash taste like?
A Whiskey Smash with maple's woody caramel in place of plain sugar — rounder, warmer, still fresh with mint.
Which maple?
Grade A dark (formerly grade B) for the most flavour.
Rye or bourbon?
Bourbon; rye is drier and also good.
Is it a julep?
A smash is a julep's shorter cousin with citrus muddled in.
Variations
- Whiskey Smash — Bourbon, lemon, sugar and mint.
- Maple Leaf — Bourbon, lemon and maple.
- Cherry Smash — Bourbon, cherries, lemon and mint.
- Mint Julep — Bourbon, mint and sugar over crushed ice.
Where it comes from
c. 2010s · United States
Dale DeGroff’s Whiskey Smash of the 1990s — bourbon, lemon wedges, simple syrup and mint, muddled and served over ice — is the template, and the maple version swaps the syrup for real maple, which gives the drink a woody caramel depth that suits bourbon’s own. It is a 2010s menu drink, the kind of seasonal riff bars make in October when the mint is still growing and the maple is on the shelf, and it has lasted because it works: the lemon keeps the maple honest, the mint keeps it fresh. A dash of Angostura or walnut bitters is common. Grade A dark maple has the most flavour.
Sources
- Difford's Guide, Maple Bourbon Smash, 2014 (reference)
- Liquor.com, Maple Bourbon Smash, 2020 (reference)
- Dale DeGroff, The Craft of the Cocktail, 2002 (book)
Strength. About 1.52 US standard drinks at an estimated 23.6% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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