Make This Summer a Smash!

Photos by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

With summer upon us, home gardens and farmers markets are flush with fresh herbs to add to adult refreshments, just the right thing to beat the heat. One of my favorite herb-y libations is a crushed iced number called the Smash. 

The Smash is a style of drink that Jerry Thomas defined in his 1862 cocktail book How to Mix Drinks as a “Julep on a small plan.” This combination of spirit, sugar, mint and crushed ice began to be mentioned in the 1840s, but in the decades after Jerry Thomas published his recipe, it faded into obscurity. It was deemed too fussy of a small drink compared to the Mint Julep, especially with its additional garnish of citrus slices and seasonal berries, so the Mint Julep won out. 

At the beginning of the modern cocktail renaissance at the end of the 20th century, the Smash was rejuvenated. Circa 1998 at the Rainbow Room in Manhattan, Dale DeGroff modified the recipe, adding lemon wedges to the mix, and he converted what was a mini-Julep or minty Sling into something approaching a minty Sour, akin to a Southside. Besides the crushed ice component differentiating this modern Smash from the Southside, it also contains vibrant citrus oils from the muddled fruit skins. This brought new life to the drink, and soon folks began ordering them by the score. 

This revitalized form of the Smash landed in Boston at the dearly departed Eastern Standard Kitchen + Drinks in 2005, when bar director Jackson Cannon placed the Whiskey Smash on the opening menu after learning about it from Dale’s 2002 book The Craft of the Cocktail and drinking one while visiting Manhattan. The cocktail took off, with 21,000 being sold in the first four years (and the final tally around 150,000). Jackson attributed its success to the word “Smash,” more fun and descriptive than “Julep;” plus, the libation itself provided a longer and more refreshing drinking experience due to its finely crushed ice. 

Over time, the Smash expanded into other spirits and other herbs besides mint. In 2008, Jörg Meyer invented the wildly successful Gin Basil Smash at Le Lion in Hamburg, Germany, after having tried Dale DeGroff’s version in New York the year before. Even I tinkered with the style in 2017 at Loyal Nine in Cambridge, when I combined tequila, mezcal, lime and sage for the Oaxacan Smash. 

To prepare it, a Smash requires muddling, but freshly squeezed citrus juice can be used instead of citrus wedges in a pinch; letting the ice bruise the herbs during the cocktail shake is best. The proper tool, though, is a muddler that looks like a stylized dowel, often made from wood but metal and/or plastic versions exist. Improvised muddlers—like a wooden spoon—will work, however with a bit more effort. 

Optimally, one should muddle the citrus wedges in a shaker tin first to extract the juice and citrus oils, and then add the herb of choice and muddle accordingly; lighter muddling is needed for delicate leaves like mint and basil, and more vigorous pounding for sage and rosemary. Spirits and sweetener are then added along with ice cubes. The drink is shaken for 10 to 15 seconds and strained into a double Old Fashioned or other tumbler-style glass. While a classic cocktail strainer will do, doubling up with a tea strainer (a small conical mesh strainer with a handle) will remove all the little bits of citrus and herbs for a cleaner drink. The balance may need adjustment with additional simple syrup or more freshly squeezed citrus juice to adjust for variations in the size of your fruit, its acidity and yield—and your personal preference. 

The next concern is the ice for the glass—namely crushed or cracked ice. I recommend preparing it first so it’s ready to be added when the Smash is strained. There are a few ways to achieve this. While professional bars (and some homes) are blessed with ice machines that make crushed ice, most home bartenders will require other means; hand-cranked ice crushers are great additions to a bar cart. One of my preferred ways is a Lewis Bag and mallet; the bag can be as simple as a towel folded around ice cubes or a dedicated canvas sack (new bank coin bags will work). With a dozen mallet blows to the cube-filled bag on a well-supported counter, the ice will be ready for use. The last, and most time-consuming way, is to crack individual ice cubes with the back of a serving spoon. 

Here are three Smash recipes, but really the sky’s the limit. For example, rosemary will work great with tequila, sage with Scotch, thyme with gin and nasturtium with pisco. May this refreshing summer drink bring greater joy to your gardening, your trips to the farmers market and help you combat the hot and humid weather. Cheers!