Blackberry Whiskey Smash

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Enjoy sipping on a Blackberry Whiskey Smash whenever blackberries are in season.

Or, in a pinch, you can use frozen blackberries.

After all, iIf you love drinks that look festive for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or special occasions in the spring and summer – but aren’t all “froo-froo” (whatever THAT means) – this drink, also known as a  Sir William Smash, is where it’s at.

This lovely cocktail is made with whiskey, giving it a rugged boldness that pairs nicely with sweet berries.

It’s a delicious blackberry whiskey smash.

The Sir William Smash made with 12-Year Single Malt 

 

 

This cocktail is easy to make but looks properly dressed up for any special occasion.

Along with the sweet berries, lemon juice adds a dazzling freshness and a sprig of mint adds color and tantalizing aroma as you sip your drink.

The Sir William Smash cocktail tastes best with a high-quality whiskey.

We enjoy Old Pulteney 12-Year-Old Highland Single Malt, but if you have a favorite whiskey, feel free to try that instead.

You really can’t go wrong when you start with the right booze.

Just be sure to have enough berries on hand because once you taste this, you’re sure to want more than one!

Thank you to Old Pulteney and Jonathan Pogash for sharing their recipe and photos with us.

What is a 12 year old Scotch?

When you’re selecting a bottle of scotch, you may notice that they include their ages on the bottles.

This is so you know how “young” the whiskey is. 

What that means it that when the scotch was bottled, the whiskey had been aged for at least 12 years in an oak cask or barrel.

However, that’s referring to the youngest whiskey in the bottle.

It’s not necessarily the age of all of what’s in the bottle. You’ll notice this particularly with blended scotch.

There may be much older scotch blended in depending on the master’s flavor profile he or she seeks to achieve.

Scotch has a geographical indicator that governs its production, so when you see that a bottle has a number on it, you know that the scotch has aged at least that long.

So you may rest assured that a scotch with a 12 year old label can always be older, but it will not be younger than that. 

Is older scotch better tasting than younger scotch?

So does older scotch taste better than younger scotch?

In many cases, that’s a matter of preference.

But it is certainly more expensive.

The reason why has to do with evaporation.

The longer the whiskey sits in the cask, the more of it evaporates.

In fact, the part that evaporates is often called the “angel’s share.”

Oftentimes, a cask will lose as much as 2% of it’s contents each year.

That’s a lot!

What makes a drink a “smash”?

Technically, a drink that’s called a smash means that it’s served with fresh, seasonal fruit.

It’s typically made with whiskey, but you’ll often see it made with bourbon or even brandy.

But you can use other spirits for the base like we did with our Southern Comfort Peach Smash.

There are other things that you’ll find common among drinks that get called a smash.

It usually also has water, ice, a sweetener, and fresh mint in addition to the liquor and fresh fruit.

An easy way to remember it is to think of a mint julep – with fruit!

Ingredients to make the Sir William Smash

• 2 oz whiskey – we used Old Pulteney 12 year Old Highland Single Malt
• ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
• ¾ oz simple syrup
• 4 blackberries

Note – If blackberries are not in season, you may use thawed frozen blackberries or choose a different berry that is in season.

Directions to make a Blackberry Whiskey Smash:

To get started, you want to muddle the berries in the lemon juice and simple syrup.

This makes a nice muddled puree.

Add this mixture to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.

Add the whiskey to the shaker and shake it well.

Fill your rocks glass with ice.

Using a strainer, strain the whiskey and blackberry mixture over the ice.

For your garnish, add a sprig of fresh mint.

If you like a lot of mint flavor in your drink, here’s tip for you.

Before you fill your rocks glass with ice, bruise a sprig of mint.

Then gently rub the inside of the glass with the mint before adding the ice to add just a touch more mint flavor.

If you love a great whiskey cocktail, why not try some of these great recipes:

We know some people love all types or whiskey, but there are some who only prefer Scotch or Bourbon.

So we’ve included a variety of recipes for you to enjoy.

Plum Citrus Whiskey Smash

Black Eyed Susan

Star Fruit and Pineapple Mint Julep

Blueberry Whiskey Corpse Reviver

Blackberry Fireball Whiskey Fizz

Highland Whiskey Spiked Hot Chocolate

Blackberry Whiskey Lemonade

Viking Glogg

Crown Royal Whisky Sour Apple Cocktail

Whisky Cherry Coke Smash with Crown Royal

Bourbon Pecan Pie Cocktail

Slow Cooker Fireball and Red Hots Spiced Apple Cider

Star Fruit Pineapple Mint Julep Recipe

Granty Burn Old Fashioned

Hot Blackberry Pie Cocktail

try it and share!

Please let us know how you enjoy our Sir William Smash Cocktail, aka Blackberry Whiskey Smash recipe.

If you make it yourself, please let us know on Pinterest that you tried it and tag us with #champagneandcoconuts on your Instagram photo.

If you haven’t had a chance to make it yet, be sure to save the recipe on Pinterest so you’ll remember where you found it.

You may enjoy following our Pinterest Boards, Scotch  Recipes and Whisky Cocktails.

 

 

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