Orange Bourbon Smash (2024)

Published: Dec 28, 2016 · Modified: Oct 23, 2020 by Manju · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

Bourbon and bitters and some orange come together in this warming yet icy co*cktail – Orange Bourbon Smash.

4.67 from 3 votes

Prep 5 minutes mins

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Bourbon and bitters and some orange come together in this warming yet icy co*cktail – Orange Bourbon Smash.

Sorry about the co*cktail overload the last few days. Its just that, getting into the New Year celebration mode means lots of co*cktail ideas and I wanna try them all out before the big day to decide what to make then.

My affinity to herby, not so sweet and very strong and sour co*cktails started a few years ago when Seattle got into the whole speak easy type of bars craze and the husband and I got to several of them during our date nights. The co*cktails there impressed me. I was always put off when it was a mojito or a margarita, all the time, at restaurants. Also, it really really ticked me off when they used mixers. I mean, how hard is it to squeeze some lime and muddle some mint leaves.

These old fashioned or new fashioned, however you want to call it, type of co*cktails that focused on mixing the various flavors together with a dash of fresh fruit or herb to enhance the flavor became my go-to and I started studying the co*cktail menu more carefully and tried to see what I liked and what mixes of alcohol and bitters and fruits or herbs I liked.

This is roughly adapted from Sazerac’s menu. It is sad though that this restaurant is about to close but that story is not for now.

Its fairly simple, no added sugar and the muddled fresh mandarin does wonders to the flavor, if I may say so myself.

Ingredients for Orange Bourbon Smash

Mandarin oranges - fresh oranges is needed as it is the base of this recipe and we are going to smash orange segments into the co*cktail.
Bourbon - any kind of bourbon. My favorite is Knob Creek.
Grand Marnier or Triple Sec - any type of orange liqueur to enhance that orange flavor
Sweet Vermouth
a few dashes of Angostura bitters - this gives that characteristic old fashioned type bitter tone to the taste.
Crushed ice

How to make Orange Bourbon Smash

Peel out little strands from the mandarin, for the garnish. Peel the mandarin completely and muddle it well in a co*cktail shaker. Fill it halfway through with ice and add the Bourbon, Grand Marnier, Vermouth and bitters to it. Shake well.

Strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with mandarin strands. Serve immediately.

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