Blackberry bourbon smash

This blackberry bourbon smash is as bright and bold in flavor as it is in color. It's easy to make, relatively strong but deliciously smooth and gently refreshing. Perfect for any excuse. 

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If you're a regular around here, you have probably figured out that I'm quite a fan of adding fruits into cocktails. It's a great way to add some sweetness naturally, and many add a lovely burst of color and flavor. 

Some fruits pair particularly well with certain spirits. Some are maybe more geographic associations, but that works well anyway, like rum and pineapple or tequila and watermelon. But others it's definitely about the flavors, and blackberry with bourbon is one of them.

For whatever reason, the two flavors work really well together, both with a level of sweetness but also depth. This blackberry twist on a smash is a great way to enjoy the flavors together that's almost too easy to drink.

What is a smash?

Like some other groups of cocktail, smashes can be a little hard to define. According to this history of the smash article, a smash is a kind of julep, but a julep isn't always a smash. Having been around over a century, it has seen a few variations.

In general a smash seems to be classified as some kind of fruit, herb (often mint) and spirit mixed together with a little sweetener and over ice. However it's not a hard and fast set of ingredients and some versions don't fully fit even this loose set of 'rules'.

Smash cocktails are made for summer, as they are generally well chilled and often topped with a little water (often sparkling) to lighten them up. They also pretty much always include seasonal fruit, even if it's just a garnish. 

Admittedly my ginger whiskey smash just has ginger in the syrup and lemon juice, but hey. It's not a type of drink that has hard and fast rules.

This version has all of the classic components so it's quite definitely in the smash family, and a truly delicious version of it too. As I say, blackberries and bourbon work so well and the touch of lemon and mint really help add a little extra freshness to the flavor.

Bright and fruity, with a bit of a kick but also refreshing, this blackberry bourbon smash has it all. It's a great cocktail to sip on on a hot day, though quite honestly I'd gladly enjoy it whatever the weather. So grab your ingredients and mix one up. Cheers!

Try these other fruity cocktails:

• Passion fruit margarita
• Raspberry caipirinha
• Strawberry bellini
• Plus get more cocktail recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.  In many locations, you can have wine, spirits and more delivered to your door with Drizly.

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