25 Nov Drink of the Week: Thanksgiving Smash

Drink of the Week: Thanksgiving Smash

We’ve been having fun recently experimenting with smashes. A smash is a very old and, until recently, mostly dormant style of cocktail involving sugar and seasonal fruit (the Mint Julep is a smash that stayed current during the quiet period). Smashes aren’t terribly sophisticated–they come after all from the very beginnings of mixed drinks–but they are, however, crowd-pleasing, easy to play with, and easy to drink; and you can make them with the barest of bar shelves, needing only one bottle.

We thought that today’s recipe might come in handy if you find yourself away from your home bar, or if you have some spare cranberry sauce and want to do something dramatic with it.

Again, it’s not the most sophisticated thing we’ve ever designed, but it’s great for a party. A little sweet, a little tart, and just enough kick to keep things interesting.

The Thanksgiving Smash

Ingredients

• 1 oz cranberry sauce
• 1 oz Bourbon
• .5 oz orange liqueur (we used triple sec, but I think Curacao would be better)
• 1 oz orange juice
• orange segment (for garnish)

Instructions

• Add everything with ice to a shaker and shake more vigorously than you usually would; it takes some effort to mix the cranberry juice in, especially if you use fresh as we did.
• Pour into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass, garnish with orange, and serve.