Smash

What is a smash?

The smash is the little sister of the julep: spirit, sugar, mint and plenty of crushed ice, short, cold and without detours. Jerry Thomas already lists the category of smashes in his guide of 1862, and the whiskey smash remains the classic of the house to this day.

What makes a smash

• The mint: gently pressed or just woken between the hands, so the essential oils come free and the bitter compounds do not, more on that debate in our muddle entry
• Crushed ice: crushed ice chills faster and dilutes faster, and whoever wants to understand the balance should know our dilution entry: dilution is the ingredient, over-diluting is the mistake
• Small and direct: a smash is a short drink with the ice-cold punch of a julep

Distinction: smash and julep

The mint julep is the big brother in the cup: one spirit, mint, sugar and a mountain of crushed ice, the family does not need more than that. The smash is the shorter version, served in a small glass, with the same principles: cold, sweet, mint.

Remember: the sour is the formula, the fizz the sparkle, the Collins the length, the daisy the sweetness, the flip the silk, the smash the ice.

At our lounge

Ask for a whiskey smash: whiskey, mint, sugar and a mountain of crushed ice, rarely does more summer fit into a small glass. And if you want to know how to wake the mint instead of torturing it, we have an entry of its own on that.