Juleps & Smashes

7 drinks · Updated October 2026

Juleps and smashes combine spirits, sugar and fresh herbs, usually with plenty of ice. The Mint Julep is now most closely associated with bourbon, mint, sugar and crushed ice, although juleps historically used other spirits too. The Whiskey Smash commonly adds lemon to whiskey, mint and sugar. The Gin Basil Smash uses gin, lemon, sugar and basil, showing how a different herb can define a related drink. These categories overlap, but a smash usually involves muddled ingredients, and its fruit component distinguishes many modern versions from a straightforward julep.

• Brandy Smash

  Classic (printed in Jerry Thomas's Bar-Tender's Guide, 1862)

  7 Mint leaves 2 oz Cognac 0.25 oz Rich simple syrup

• Mint Julep

  Classic (American South)

  2 oz Bourbon 0.25 oz Simple syrup

• Rum Julep

  Vintage

  0.75 oz 151-proof demerara rum 0.75 oz Aged Demerara rum 0.5 oz Jamaican rum 0.25 oz Falernum 0.25 oz Donn's Spices #2 0.5 oz Orange juice 0.5 oz Lime juice 0.5 oz Honey syrup (2:1)

• Whiskey Smash

  Dale DeGroff, Bar Americain, New York (2005); after Jerry Thomas (1862)

  8 Mint leaves 2 oz Bourbon 0.75 oz Lemon juice 0.5 oz Rich simple syrup

• Tropical Julep

  Jim Kearns, Slowly Shirley, New York

  2.25 oz Pineapple-infused bourbon 0.25 oz Blackstrap rum 0.25 oz Brown sugar syrup (2:1) 2 Mint sprigs (leaves only)

• Goombay Smash

  Emily Cooper, Blue Bee Bar, Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas

  1 oz Jamaican rum 1 oz Coconut rum 0.5 oz Apricot liqueur 1.5 oz Pineapple juice 1 oz Orange juice 2 tsp Lime juice 2 dashes Angostura bitters

• Gin Basil Smash

  Jörg Meyer, Le Lion Bar de Paris, Hamburg (2008)

  2 oz Gin 0.75 oz Lemon juice 0.75 oz Simple syrup 8-10 Basil leaves