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Cherry Bourbon Smash Recipe

Cherry bourbon smash with muddled cherries, bourbon, basil, and club soda. Light, refreshing, and simple to make.
Prep Time2 minutes
Total Time2 minutes
Servings: 1 glass
Calories: 226kcal
Author: Lucy Brewer

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 8 basil or mint leaves
  • 8 cherries, pitted
  • 1 tablespoon simple syrup
  • 2 ounces bourbon
  • ice
  • club soda

To garnish

  • basil
  • cherries
  • edible flowers

Instructions

Instructions

  • In a cocktail shaker, add the 8 basil or mint leaves, 8 cherries, pitted and 1 tablespoon simple syrup.
    A glass with sliced dark cherries and fresh basil leaves on a pink surface, next to a bottle of Jim Beam bourbon and a wooden tray with a purple flower.
  • Muddle thoroughly to release the juices from the cherries and the flavor from the basil leaves.
    A wooden muddler pressing berries in a textured glass, with a bottle of Jim Beam bourbon visible in the background.
  • Pour in the 2 ounces bourbon, fill the cocktail shaker with ice then shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker feels ice cold.
    A hand pours a light-colored liquid from a jigger into a glass with dark liquid and herbs. A bottle of Jim Beam bourbon is in the background on a pink surface.
  • Add ice and cherries to a cocktail glass.
    A hand pours a pink cocktail from a shaker into a glass with ice and cherries; a bottle of Jim Beam bourbon is in the background.
  • Strain the cocktail into the glass then add club soda to top it off.
    A clear liquid is being poured into a glass of red cocktail with ice and cherries. A Jim Beam bourbon bottle and cherries are visible in the background.
  • Garnish with basil, extra cherries and an edible flowers or two!
    A glass of cherry bourbon smash cocktail garnished with cherries, edible flowers, and basil sits in front of a bottle of Jim Beam bourbon and a plate of cherries on a pink surface.

Notes

  • We used basil as one of the main flavor notes in this cocktail, but you’ll often find this recipe champions fresh mint. Why not try both and see which you prefer?
  • To amp up the cherry flavor, you could substitute the bourbon with cherry infused bourbon.
  • The cocktail term ‘muddling’ means squishing! Add the basil, cherries, and simple syrup to a shaker and squish them to release all the beautiful flavors. If you don’t have a muddler, then the back of a spoon will work too.
  • As you can see, we used edible flowers in this cocktail to add to the summer garden vibes. These particular flowers are tiny violas. They are easy to grow in pots in your garden and will reward you for the whole growing season. Please do check that any flowers you use are indeed edible.
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