Like many people, we’ve been having weekly cocktail hours with friends via Zoom and consequently, I’ve had to up my cocktail game. To be clear, this is a competition of one, since I am the only one playing for my own amusement.

I’ve tried to make a different cocktail each week, including several prohibition-era cocktails like the Blue Moon, the Last Word, the Bee’s Knees. This has led to several purchases of liquors that we did not have in house; Creme de Violette, Maraska Maraschino Liqueur, and Green Chartreuse. Of course, after I’ve made the classic cocktails, I still need to find a way to use those special liqueurs.

This past week I had a small flat of perfectly ripe, fragrant peaches and decided I needed to use one in a cocktail. Because I associate both peaches and bourbon with the South I thought they’d work well together, and sure enough, when I googled “bourbon and peach” I came up with a classic cocktail called the Bourbon Peach Smash. There are as many recipes for it as there are for homemade marinara sauce, but this is my version.

Typically, a Bourbon Peach Smash would not have Maraschino Liqueur in it, but I really like this new addition to our liquor cabinet and thought it would offer some complexity to the drink which could otherwise have a single note of sweetness from the peach.

If you are not familiar with it, Maraschino Liqueur is not the same as the sickly sweet red dye #5 cherry that you used to get in a Shirley Temple, (though technically they may be related). There are two well-known brands of this Liqueur; Maraska and Luxardo. Both are a clear liquor with distinct cherry flavor but are not really “sweet” (no added sugar). Maraska is still made in Zadar Croatia, where this liqueur originated, so that’s the one I chose. I’ve used it in several drinks since purchasing it; the Last Word (a new house favorite), the Blue Moon, and several others, so it’s worth having a bottle around.

If you want to learn a bit more about bourbon or try another of my bourbon cocktails, check out this post on the SoCal Sour.

Print Recipe

Bourbon Peach Smash

Bourbon Peach Smash, a cocktail with Bourbon, Maraschino Liqueur, Fresh Peaches and Mint

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cocktails

Servings: 1 Serving

Ingredients

For One Cocktail:

• 1.75 oz bourbon
• .5 oz Marasco Maraschino Liqueur
• .75 oz simple syrup*
• 1 ounce diced ripe peach plus 1 slice for garnsih
• 3 leaves of fresh mint plus sprig for garnish

Instructions

• In a cocktail shaker, muddle* the mint leaves with the diced peach and simple syrup in the bottom of the shaker.
• Add ice, the bourbon and the maraschino liqueur shake for 10 seconds to chill. Strain over a large cube of ice or serve neat in your favorite cocktail glass. NOTE:You may need to use a separate strainer instead of the one in the top of the cocktail shaker because of the peach pulp.
• Garnish with a peach slice and a sprig of mint.

Notes

*Simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water, heated until the sugar melts and then cooled.

*To muddle is to mix/smash herbs and fruit into the bottom of a mixing cup. You can use a muddle stick or the back of a spoon.

Cocktail tools/accesories used to make this cocktail:

Cocktail Muddler

Cocktail Shaker

Cocktail Strainer

Cocktail Picks (not the exact ones I have)

Cocktail Jigger for measuring

Cocktail Glasses similar to mine

Round and Square Molds for Large Ice Cubes

The items above are all linked to Amazon and are affiliate links. They are there as examples, but also if you choose to buy from them there is no additional cost to you but it does help support this site.

Have you been making any special “Covid Cocktails” or “Quarantinis”? Let me know in the comments.

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