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Smoky Sanderson Sisters’ Smash – my favorite quick and easy warming autumn bourbon smash. It’s frightastically magical. Boiled down cinnamon spiced cider syrup, smoked cinnamon, and sage. All smashed together with blackberries, bitters, and warming bourbon. A magical Halloween cocktail to celebrate the season. Finish this smoky smash off with fresh sage and a smoking cinnamon stick for that extra special Sanderson Sisters black magic.
And we are back! Cocktail Saturday is officially back for the season. This means 3 months of holiday cocktails, spooky for October, warming and elegant for Thanksgiving in November, and wonderfully festive for December.
I am so excited!! These are without a doubt some of my favorite recipes, photos, and videos to create. I’m able to have so much fun with each new drink. I love getting to be overly creative with them!
Today we’re celebrating the Halloween season with our first spooky cocktail. It’s obviously inspired by Hocus Pocus 2, which came out yesterday. Asher and I love the original Hocus Pocus. We’ve watched it every single year together really since she was a baby.
We’ve been so excited for the sequel and can’t wait to watch it this weekend.
So we decided a “black magic” style drink was perfect for today.
The spooky details
The base of the recipe is a simple mix of boiled down cinnamon spiced apple cider syrup, fresh sage, blackberries, lemon bitters, and bourbon.
The drink itself is a blood-red color. It’s very warming, has a nice cinnamon spice, and a delicious sweetness from the berries.
Simmer the apple cider with a cinnamon stick to make the cider syrup.
Then the rest is very quick. Start by smoking the cinnamon stick and sage. Sounds fancy but all you do is light a cinnamon stick on fire with a kitchen torch. Do the same for the sage, then trap the smoke inside your cocktail glass.
This will leave the glass with a smoky cinnamon and sage flavor. It’s really fun and a delicious twist.
Now mash the berries with fresh sage, add the lemon juice, bitters, and bourbon. Pour the cocktail over ice. I love to char up one more cinnamon sticks, then add fresh sage to the glass.
It’s an extra finishing touch, but a magical one.
Looking for other spooky cocktail recipes? Here are a few ideas:
“I put a Spell on You” Poison Apple Martini
Lastly, if you make this Smoky Sanderson Sisters’ Smash, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite
Smoky Sanderson Sisters’ Smash
Servings: 1 drink
Calories Per Serving: 555 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks plus more for burning
- 2-3 sage leaves plus more for burning
- 8 fresh blackberries
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- 2 ounces bourbon
Instructions
- 1. To make the cider syrup. In a small pot, bring the apple cider and cinnamon sticks to a boil over high heat. Boil 8-10 minutes, until reduced by half. Let cool.2. Working on a heat-proof tray, use a kitchen torch to burn 1 cinnamon stick with 2 sage leaves, then place a cocktail glass immediately over the cinnamon and sage, trapping in the smoke. Let sit 2-5 minutes.3. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the blackberries and sage, squishing the berries to release the juices. Add 1-2 tablespoons of cider syrup, lemon, bitters, and bourbon. Shake to combine. 4. Add ice to the glass. Pour the drink over, and gently stir. Garnish with fresh sage and cinnamon.
Notes
To Make a Mocktail: omit the bourbon and use 1 additional tablespoon apple cider or sparkling apple cider with 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Super fun to make! We put the drink in a large cauldron with some dry ice and it was super cool and spooky for Halloween!
Hey Kelly,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! Have a great weekend!🍁
What do you think of converting this to a punch recipe?
Hey Heather,
You could totally do that, just increase your serving size above the ingredient list and the measurements will adjust for you! Cheers! xTieghan
I can’t wait to make this one, I love a cozy bourbon cocktail for Fall!!! People are asking about the smoky bubbles of the finished drink – you slipped a bit of dry ice in there for effect. In reality, it’s fine to do that with a pitcher or punch bowl, but not safe for an individual drink, as dry ice will burn your mouth of throat. Very effective for the photo, just fish it out before you drink it. Cheers!
Hi Sus,
Thanks so much for sharing! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I did make this cocktail and it’s so delicious and festive! Bonus: it’s fun to make! Thanks!
Hi Sus,
I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
What did you drop into the glass to make it so smoky and bubbly? Dry ice?
Hi Michele,
Yes, I did some dry ice, but you can just use the smoke from the cinnamon and sage, it works just as well! Cheers! xx
Im curious about the dry ice you used. Looks so cool. How do you store it? Is it safe to use? Any tips? Thanks.
How do you get the drink all bubly and smoky at the end? Thanks!
Hey Lynsey,
I use the smoke from the cinnamon stick and sage and trap it in the glass! If you want to get really fancy, you can use dry ice! I hope you love the recipe. Cheers! xx
Could this drink be made by the pitcher? It would be so great for a Halloween Party!
Hey Rachael,
You could totally make this as a pitcher! Just adjust the serving size, right above the list of ingredients, and the measurements will automatically adjust for you! I hope you love the recipe! Cheers! xx
Looks great! In the video is that dry ice that makes the whole drink smoke and bubble?
Hey Heather,
Thanks! Yes, it is, but you totally don’t need to use it, the cinnamon and sage work just as well! Cheers! xx
Excellent fall cocktail. Loved it! Love the subtle apple and cinnamon favor.
Thanks again Nicole:)
Excellent fall cocktail. Loved it!
Hey Nicole,
Happy Sunday! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and appreciate you giving it a try! Cheers!🍂 xT
Your photography is really stellar!
Actually it absolutely does when used in the possessive. Nice try, though.
Thanks so much, Paula!! Hope you are off to a great Sunday! xT
‘sisters’ needs no apostrophe
Sisters’ is the possessive form of sisters. When the noun already ends in “s” and we want to make the word possessive, we need to put the apostrophe after the “s”.
This is the Sanderson Sisters’ smash.
We love Tieghan.
Go grammar troll somebody else.
Lol thanks Samantha!🤍
Yes. It does.
Jeez, Dana, is that the best you can do? That’s sad.
Dana, if you’re going to grammar troll, at least be correct in your corrections. As a professional proofreader and editor, we would never point to an error in that way. Be kind.
I can’t wait to try this but am confused on the quantity. The recipe says there’s only an ounce of bourbon (which is basically a shot) and 1-2 tablespoons of cider syrup. (The cider syrup is made with the 1 cup of cider that’s been reduced by half.) The picture shows a nice full glass. Where is the rest of the drink coming from?
Correction: I re-read the recipe, and it says TWO ounces of bourbon, not one. Sorry, I was confused.
No worries! I hope you love this drink!
Hey Susan,
There’s actually 2 ounces of bourbon and then 1 cup of apple cider:) This should give you a full glass. I hope you love this recipe!! Cheers! xx
How do you make the cocktail all smoky like the last picture? and thanks for all the great inspiration!
Hey Pat,
Thanks so much! Start by smoking the cinnamon stick and sage. Sounds fancy but all you do is light a cinnamon stick on fire with a kitchen torch. Do the same for the sage, then trap the smoke inside your cocktail glass. Cheers! xTieghan
Where did you buy the glasses for this drink? So pretty!
Not sure if these are hers or not, but I have identical ones from cb2 and I love them!
Thanks for sharing Allie!
Hey Leah,
So sorry, unfortunately these glasses are pretty old and I can no longer find the exact ones, but here’s a link for some other fun glasses you might like!
https://rstyle.me/+6sMh1GJQ1N3vp4I-Ueh5vg
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT