The Whiskey Smash. A classic Southern drink tradition that tempers the heat and grit of straight whiskey with sugar and freshly muddled mint. The original used whiskey, sugar, mint, and shaved ice. Modern versions often replace the sugar with simple syrup and include dashes of bitters and citrus. The edgiest versions depart from tradition altogether, adding liqueurs and the muddled pulp of things like peaches and pumpkin–both of which we tried earlier in this cocktail series. The Pumpkin Smash went a little too far from tradition for us.
For this go ’round, we stuck to sweet and accessible flavors; pear, ginger, and lime. This smash leaves out mint altogether, substituting it with the bite of ginger provided by Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur. Pear pulp and ginger ale sweeten the whiskey.
We mixed ours up in a Rosle cocktail shaker and served them in a Schott Zwiesel Basic Bar Allround glass. It’s sort of a hybrid between an old fashioned and a highball, perfect for this tall, refreshing drink that’s topped off with ginger ale.
Muddling the pear with a Rosle fruit muddle
