Whiskey Peach Smash

Muddle half a ripe one with the mint and cut the syrup to 4 ml, since the fruit brings sugar of its own. Fresh peach gives aroma and pulp but very little length, which is why a lot of bars use both. Out of season, tinned peaches in juice beat hard supermarket fruit.

Not using enough ice, almost certainly. Crushed ice melts fast by design and the answer is more of it, not less. Fill the glass to the rim, pour over, then cap it with a fresh mound. A half-filled glass is water in two minutes, and ice from the freezer door is wet before it starts.

They do different jobs. Pressed leaves in the bottom flavor the drink faintly, while the sprig on top is what you actually smell, and smell is most of what mint contributes here. Lose the leaves and you have a peach whiskey sour. Lose the sprig and you lose the part people notice.

More than the number suggests, because 22 ml of lemon is a lot of acid and peach liqueur is sweet but thin. Taste before you serve. If it puckers, add syrup 4 ml at a time rather than more liqueur, which would tip the whole thing toward candy.

A classic Whiskey Peach Smash calls for 8 mint leaves Fresh mint, 60 ml (2 oz) Bourbon, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Peach schnapps, 22 ml (0.75 oz) Fresh lemon juice, 8 ml (0.25 oz) Simple syrup. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

A standard Whiskey Peach Smash is roughly 28% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

A Whiskey Peach Smash is muddled and built right in the serving glass — press the fresh ingredients gently to release juice and aromatic oils, then build the drink on top. No shaker needed.