Over the summer, Margaritas and Cucumber Rickeys have been my favorite cocktails at any type of soiree. As the weather turns a bit cooler, I still love a refreshing drink, but it needs to be something that gives me a bit of that crisp fall feeling. Cue the music and bring on the bourbon!
Lucky for the locals in Fredericksburg and the surrounding areas, we have an award winning Distillery right here – A. Smith Bowman Distillery. And the Small Batch Pioneer Spirit Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a great place to start when mixing a delicious bourbon drink.
According to the back of the bottle, their story starts with four brothers…
“John, Abraham, Joseph and Isaac Bowman were Virginia militia officers in the American Revolutionary War. In 1779, they led thirty pioneer families to Madison County, Kentucky and established Bowman’s Station. Later, the brothers helped establish and settle Fayette County. They were legends, admired and respected by fellow settlers for their courage and bravery. This hand-crafted bourbon whiskey is a tribute to those four heroic brothers.” – Bowman Brothers Small Batch Copper Distilled Pioneer Spirit Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
Let’s get back to the cocktail making.
Knowing that an enjoyable Girl’s Night Out was on the horizon, I began searching for a good cocktail to bring to the party. I enjoy perusing blogs and was on the Waiting on Martha blog when I saw a recipe she posted for a Citrus Bourbon Smash. Yep! That was it!
Of course there has to be a little tweaking when it comes to recipes, so I changed it up a bit to make it according to my taste buds. Feel free to do the same when you make it! And enjoy this “smashing” drink!!
Citrus Bourbon Smash by Waiting on Martha and Tweaked by Fredericksburg Living
Ingredients
- 3 oz. bourbon whiskey
- Citrus Juice*
- Club Soda as a topper
- Citrus Simple Syrup to taste**
- Fresh Basil for garnish and muddled if you choose
- *Citrus Juice Ingredients:
- Lemon
- Lime
- Orange Juice
- **Citrus Simple Syrup Ingredients:
- Sugar
- Lemon
- Lime
Directions
- Step 1 *Combine 1 cup of orange juice, the juice from one lemon and juice from one lime together. Stir and set aside.
- Step 2 **Citrus Simple Syrup – Combine 1/2 sugar with 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of combination of fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice in a pan. Stir constantly until it comes to a boil. Turn down the heat and continue stirring until all the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool.
- Step 3 To make the cocktail:
- Step 4 Carefully muddle a couple leaves of basil in a glass. Add ice.
- Step 5 Add 3 oz. of bourbon, 1/4-1/2 cup of the mixed Citrus Juice and Citrus Simple Syrup to taste.
- Step 6 Top with Club Soda and gently stir.
- Step 7 Garnish with lemon slices, lime slices and basil leaves.
