Tract · Cocktails

Sour · Muddled and built · Historical · complexity 2/5

Fancy Whiskey Smash

A fancy whiskey smash with mint, sugar, whiskey, fine ice, and fruit.

Served in Sour glass. Ice: Fine ice.

Family

Variants (5)

How to Mix Drinks: Bar Keepers' Handbook by Winter (1884, p.23) — Bar Keepers' Handbook 1884

0.5 tablespoonsugar base
1 wine glassWhiskey base
Seasonal fruit — fruit in seasongarnish
4 sprigmint — Three to four sprigs.other
  1. Dissolve sugar and mint in water, add whiskey and fine ice, stir well, strain into a sour glass with fruit, and serve.

Garnish: Seasonal fruit

Ice: Fine ice

Drinks as They Are Mixed by Paul E. Lowe (1904, p.72) — Lowe 1904 Fancy

0.5 glassice — fine icebase
1 wine-glassrye whiskey — whiskeybase
1 wine-glassSoda water — carbonated waterdilution
Seasonal fruit — fruitgarnish
3 sprigmint — mintother
2 tspsugar — sugarsweetener
  1. Build the sugar, carbonated water, pressed mint, whiskey, and fine ice in a large bar glass.
  2. Stir well, fill up with more ice, dress with fruit, and serve.

Garnish: Fruit

Ice: Fine ice

Nose
Mint and whiskey lift cleanly above the cold ice.
Palate
This variant is useful because it shows the smash line drifting back toward dressed julep display while retaining its own smaller, more direct identity.
Finish
The finish is minty, cool, and lightly sparkling.
Summary
A dressed, mineral-lifted smash from the julep borderland.

Jack's Manual by J. A. Grohusko (1908, p.33) — Grohusko 1908

2 tspsugar — sugarbase
1 wine glassWhiskey — whiskeybase
1 wine glassSoda water — carbonated waterdilution
Seasonal fruit — fruitgarnish
0.5 glassice — iceother
3 sprigmint — mintother
  1. Press the mint with the sugar and carbonated water in a large bar glass.
  2. Add the whiskey, stir well, fill up with ice, trim with fruit, and serve.

Garnish: Seasonal fruit and mint

Ice: Ice

Nose
Mint and whiskey lift first, with a sweet soda note behind.
Palate
This is a valuable later smash variant because it shows the family moving toward decorated, lengthened, customer-facing summer service rather than remaining a simple small julep.
Finish
The finish is cool, minty, and lightly sparkling.
Summary
A dressed, lengthened whiskey smash from the later summer-service branch.

Jack's Manual by J. A. Grohusko (1910, p.51)

2 teaspoonssugar base
1 wine glassWhiskey base
1 wine glassSoda water — carbonated waterdilution
ice — Large bar glass half full of ice, then fill up with ice.other
3 sprigsmint — Pressed.other
  1. Build the sugar, carbonated water, pressed mint, whiskey, and ice in a large bar glass and stir well.
  2. Fill up with ice, trim with fruit, and serve.

Garnish: Seasonal fruit and mint

Ice: Ice

The Buffet Blue Book by John H. Considine (1912, p.32)

0.5 bar glassice base
1 wine glassWhiskey base
1 wine glassCarbonated water dilution
fruit garnish — fruitgarnish
3 sprigsmint — Pressed.other
2 teaspoonfulssugar sweetener
  1. Build the ice, sugar, carbonated water, pressed mint, and whiskey in a large bar glass.
  2. Stir well, fill up with ice, trim with fruit, and serve.

Garnish: Fruit and mint

Ice: Ice

See also: Brandy Smash, Gin Smash