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Who’s ready for Cocktail Friday? Try this blackberry bourbon smash cocktail!
I’ve been thinking about it, and I think cocktail Friday should become a monthly thing, what do you guys think?
Ok, well it doesn’t have to be a monthly thing, since I don’t actually make all that many cocktails and typically stick to kombucha or sparkling water, BUT my bother was in town the other week and he convinced that we needed Friday drinks. For some reason I am the biggest sucker when it comes to Kai… and he know’s it. After a long day of filming I practically begged Kai to squeeze in just one more video, and the only way he agreed to do it was if  we could make a cocktail first.
WATCH HOW-TO VIDEO HERE:
Thankfully, I’ve been planning on sharing this blackberry bourbon smash for a while now, so it all worked out pretty good! Kai got his drinks… and I got in one last video.
Cool, cool!
Speaking of Kai, I’m kind of pumped because his girlfriend, Caitlin made him this Steak Bowl for dinner the other night. Kai and Cait stick to a strict diet of tacos, chicken and more tacos. This is Kai’s preference, Cait actually enjoys eating good food, but for some reason goes along with Kai’s taco regimen. She even likes pretty much all kinds of food (except for blue cheese which makes me wanna cry), but I think she was just getting a little bored of their nightly routine and decided it was time to do some cooking. This had me totally excited because Cait decided she was going to make one of my recipes!
Like YES!! Finally someone in my family was going to recreate something of mine, hip, hip hooray!!
The thing about Cait is that she is somewhat new to cooking. I mean, she knows how to do all the basics and can for sure follow a recipe, but I still think she was maybe, slightly nervous?! I dunno. I made her go to Whole Foods to get Gochujang because I wanted the recipe to be a huge success for her. I see it like this, if she makes the recipe, realizes it’s pretty easy… and way better than Kai’s boring chicken tacos, then she’ll keep cooking and I’ll finally have someone to chat foodie things with! I mean, it’s about time!!
Anyway, long story short, Cait ended up making dinner for Kai, Blake and Weston (Kai’s roommates), and my cousin Matt. Matt is spending a few days at Kai’s on his way to his new home in San Diego where he starts a new job there next month! I dunno if Cait was planning on all those people, but I heard everything was a success all around, double high-fives to Cait!!
OH, and she made my guac too. I mean, geez, that girl knows how to please those boys with all the right foods. Caitlin’s smart!
Okok, but back to these drinks!
Aren’t they pretty, I love their dark color. It reminds me of a spooky Halloween drink for some reason, which kind of sort of maybe, has me just a little bit excited for October!
Don’t hate me. It’s been dark, cold and dreary here all week, so fall has been on my mind…but only a little. It’s still summer on the blog through August, and even into the first half of September!
Here’s the deal. These drinks honestly take five minutes to make, and they are delish.
…start with fresh blackberries
…add a handful of mint
…a little honey for sweetness
…a touch of lemon juice
…now muddle that all together until the blackberries are smashed and have released their juices
…add some bourbon (or maybe a lot if it’s been a rough week)
…toss in some ice
…top off with ginger beer
…garnish with mint
…DRINK 🙂
Fast, simple and super good.
Oh man! I almost forgot! I added a lime sugar to the rim of my glass for fun. It is totally not a must, but like I said, it is fun, and really sweet.
Perfect for a Friday cocktail!
PS. I am just realizing this is the last weekend of August? Oh my gosh! Cocktails ARE a must, we need to end the last full month of summer properly!
Blackberry Bourbon Smash.
Servings: 1 Drink
Calories Per Serving: 491 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- granulated sugar - for the rim of the glasses
- zest from 1 lime - again for the rims
- 8 fresh blackberries
- 7 leaves mint
- juice from half a lemon
- 1-2 tablespoons honey
- 2 ounces bourbon more or less to taste
- ginger beer for topping
Instructions
- On a shallow plate, combine the sugar and lime zest. Run the lime wedge around the edge of your glasses, then invert each glass into the plate to create a sugar/lime rim.
- In a cocktail shaker or glass jar, add blackberries, mint, lemon juice and honey, using a muddler, (or even the end of a rolling pin or other kitchen tool). Muddle all of the ingredients together, squishing everything to release the juices. Add the bourbon.
- Add ice to your rimmed glass and pour the drink over the ice. Top the glass with a little more ice and then pour the ginger beer over, gently stirring to combine. Garnish with fresh mint. DRINK! 🙂
And drinks are the only way to do so. Obviously. ?
Don’t forget to vote for your favorite bloggers in the Bloglovin 2016 awards…Half Baked Harvest is nominated for best food blog, yeah!!
AND… I’ve also been nominated for the SAVEUR Magazine 2016 Blog Awards for Most Inspired Weeknight Dinners! I would be so grateful if you would go and vote for your favorite blogger. You can vote everyday from now until August 31st! ?
This was an amazing cocktail! I realized that I was out of mint while I was making the drinks. So, I made it without and they still tasted amazing! I am so happy that I came across this recipe on your site! Thanks for posting.
Hey Holly,
Happy Sunday! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xTieghan
I’m doing this on a Saturday instead of Friday, and it’s delicious! I picked up blackberries on sale at the store today and was trying to figure out what to do with them in a cocktail. My sister recently introduced me to your blog, which I love, and when searching for bourbon blackberry this came up. When I saw it was from your website it was a no-brainer!
I’ve had a blackberry bourbon smash before, but never with ginger beer. I love it! Also, used Trader Joe’s bourbon barrel maple syrup and it was the perfect finish!
Thanks for your great blog!
Thank you for trying this one, Jennifer! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hi! Is this a drink you could make and serve in bulk?
Thank you! 🙂
Hi Katie! Sure! You can quadruple the recipe and serve as a pitcher cocktail. That will be so great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Made these last week for a small holiday gathering and my daughter-in-law renamed them “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” and I made little reindeer cocktail picks with a mint leaf and a blackberry to garnish the drink with. They were a huge hit and I was asked for the recipe by everyone.
Thank you so much Maria! I am so glad this turned out so well for you all! xTieghan
Ok… I loathe even the smell of bourbon. My husband loves it. I actually texted this recipe to him as an almost-joke. Well… he bought the ingredients and I made it and darnit! I drank and loved bourbon!! It’s delicious!! I loved it! Fabulous recipe! He didn’t see the lime ingredient so I made lemon sugar instead and it was still amazing. Who knew I could actually stomach the taste (and smell) of bourbon. My husband thanks you ??
AH that is so amazing!! So glad you both enjoyed this recipe, Amanda! xTieghan
This drink is incredible. The lime zest and sugar rim add a great touch. The blackberry bourbon combination is delicious! Will definitely make this again!
Thank you Brenda! xTieghan
Your photography of this drink is beautiful. Would love to know.what lens was used.
Hi Eileen! I am so glad you like this! All my photography equipment is linked under the photography tab in my shop page on the site!
This looks delish!! Is there any bourbon you’d recommend using?
I use Bullet. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
This sounds amazing! Can I substitute something other than ginger beer?
The ginger beer is an important flavor factor to this recipe, so I do recommend using it. That said, a sparking water can be used, but you will loose some of the flavor and sweetness. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this!
This drink wins my seal of approval (and my boyfriend liked it too)! Such a nice balance between the sweetness of the blackberries and spiciness of the ginger beer, and the sugary zesty rim was a lovely touch – all in all, the perfect way to kick off an already toasty summer 🙂 Thanks as always for your creative and clever concoctions!! Cheers xx
Ooo! yay so happy you guys liked it!! Thanks so much for trying my recipes (:
This sounds delish! would it be ok to use vanilla infused Bourbon? thanks.
Sure! I think that will be great! 🙂
Hi Suzanne! I think that sounds amazing! Let me know how it is! 🙂
These look absolutely delicious! And if you don’t mind me asking, where did you find those lovely cocktail glasses?
Thank you! Those are from Crate and Barrel. Here is the link…
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/tour-glasses/f47403
Absolutely love your blog. The recipes and photos are outstanding! Thank you so much for posting and looking forward to more…
Thank you so much Raschell!! So happy you are loving my blog!
Yes like to be on your email list thanks u karlton.
added, thanks!
This is one stunning cocktail – that color is everything!
Thanks Laura!! It’s my favorite so far!! Love all the colors so much!