This cocktail is the perfect blend of sweet and tart, with an earthy bourbon kick! The peaches add an amazing sweetness, and the cinnamon peach syrup is great to make ahead. Single serving and large batch recipes included!
This is one of my Drink recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
We’re big bourbon lovers here in The Chunky Chef household, and while my husband prefers his bourbon neat, I prefer mine in a cocktail.
This fun drink is a perfect blend of sweet and a little smoky, with a smooth warmth from the bourbon.
So if you’re looking for the perfect way to unwind after a long day, a drink to sip while you sit around the fire outside, or a fabulous cocktail for a party… this peach bourbon smash is the drink you’re looking for!
Plus there are plenty of ways to change this recipe up if you’d like, and I’ve included a large batch version in the “chef tips” right below the recipe instructions, in case you’re having a party and/or don’t want to make just 2 cocktails at a time.
Why you’ll love this recipe!
- Make ahead – this cocktail recipe is great to make ahead or prep ahead.
- Versatile – great as a single cocktail, or to make as a large batch.
What do I need to make this recipe?
- Peaches – fresh peaches are preferred (especially when they’re in season), but frozen or canned will work as well. Peaches are used in both the syrup and as the base for the cocktail.
- Lemon juice – fresh lemon juice is what I like to use for this cocktail, but bottled will work in a pinch.
- Bourbon – bourbon adds a warm and smoky taste to the drink.
- Water – this is used to make the flavored syrup.
- Sugar – I use granulated sugar or sugar in the raw.
- Cinnamon – I love the subtle taste of using a cinnamon stick, but you could add a pinch of ground cinnamon if that’s what you have on hand.
- Garnish – always optional, but I love the freshness that a sprig of mint adds to a drink.
How to make a peach bourbon smash:
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Simmer the syrup. Simmering the water, sugar, peaches, and cinnamon creates a sweet homemade simple syrup that sweetens the cocktail.
- Strain. Since you don’t want lumps of peaches in the drink, straining the syrup through a sieve gives you all the flavor, and none of the odd texture.
- Add peaches and juice. You can use peach slices or diced peaches, and fresh lemon juice gives the best flavor.
- Add syrup. This is from the syrup you made earlier. You won’t use it all, but it keeps well in the refrigerator.
- Muddle. Muddling releases a ton of flavor, and helps give this drink a great peach essence.
- Add bourbon.
- Add ice and shake. It doesn’t take long, just shake for about 15-20 seconds.
- Strain into glass. I like to serve this in rocks or double old fashioned glasses.
Helpful Tip!
Garnishes (like the mint and peach slices) are always optional, but with drinks they add such a fun and bar/restaurant-style look, so I do recommend using them.
Variations of this recipe
- Bourbon – there’s no need to break the bank on a bottle of bourbon for this cocktail recipe, since it’s mixed with other bold flavors. We typically use Woodford Reserve, but please use your favorite.
- Peaches – we love this recipe with seasonal fresh peaches, but it also works really well with frozen peaches (fully thawed), and canned peaches (drained well).
- Sugared rim – I love to add fun little flairs to simple recipes like this, and a sugared rim is a great addition! You can use granulated sugar or be a little extra and use a sanding sugar. Add some of the sugar to a plate. Run a bit of water, simple syrup, or a lemon wedge around the rim of the glass, then dip the rim in the sugar.
- Other alcohol – if you’re not a bourbon fan, you could try a whiskey, rye, or even dark rum. For a lighter, more peach-forward drink, you could try vodka.
- Larger batch – having a party? This is a great cocktail to make in a large batch. Those directions are in the “chef tips” section below the recipe below.
FAQ’s
The smash refers to the muddling of a fruit and/or herb as the base of a cocktail. For this recipe, the peaches are muddled with lemon juice and the cinnamon peach simple syrup.
Making a bourbon smash ahead of time
If you’d like, feel free to make this drink up to 24 hours ahead of time!
Just keep it covered in a pitcher or jar in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, add it to a cocktail shaker with some ice and give it a good shake.
Pour over ice in the serving glasses, top with garnishes, then serve.
You can also prep ahead by making the syrup ahead of time and keeping it refrigerated for up to a week.
Storage
Any leftover cocktails should be stored in the refrigerator and enjoyed within 1-2 days.
You’ll want to fill a cocktail shaker with ice and give the leftover cocktail a quick shake to mix it all back up before serving.
More Bourbon/Whiskey Cocktail Recipes:
My Favorite Cocktail Shaker!
Any cocktail shaker will work for this recipe, but if you want one like the one in the photos, this is a great option!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Cinnamon peach simple syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup diced fresh peaches
- 1 cinnamon stick
Bourbon smash
- 1/4 cup fresh peaches sliced
- 2 oz cinnamon peach syrup (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 oz lemon juice (about 1/8 cup or 2 Tbsp)
- 4 oz bourbon (about 1/2 cup)
- ice
- any garnishes desired peach slices, sprig of mint
Instructions
Make syrup
- To a small saucepan, add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup diced fresh peaches, and 1 cinnamon stick.
- Heat over MED heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes, until peaches are soft and tender.
- Use a spoon or fork to lightly mash the peaches as the syrup is simmering.
- Place a mesh sieve over a mixing bowl or a jar, and strain the syrup, pressing gently to get all the peach flavor out of the peaches.
- Set bowl or jar aside to cool.
Make cocktail
- To a cocktail shaker, add 1/4 cup fresh peaches, 2 oz cinnamon peach syrup, and 1 oz lemon juice.
- Muddle using a cocktail muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon, until they're very juicy.
- Add 4 oz bourbon, and fill the shaker about halfway with ice cubes. Add the lid and shake vigorously for about 15 seconds, until very cold.
Serve
- Add ice to 2 rocks or double old fashioned cocktail glasses, then strain the cocktail into them.
- Add any garnishes desired, and serve cold.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- This recipe makes 2 small cocktails, but can easily be scaled up if you’d like.
- After muddling the peaches, instead of shaking the cocktail, you can stir it with ice and a long cocktail spoon before straining it into the glasses.
- If you don’t have fresh peaches, you can use frozen ones (make sure to thaw them first), or canned (drain them well).
- You’ll have extra syrup leftover, but it’ll keep well in the refrigerator for about a week or so.
Large Batch Directions:
- This recipe great to scale up for a party; just figure out how many drinks you’ll want, divide it by 2 (the number of servings this makes), and multiply the ingredient amounts by that number.
- So for example, let’s say you wanted 8 drinks. 8 divided by 2 is 4, so you’d need to multiply all ingredient amounts by 4.
- For a party, you may not want to use the cocktail shaker for each drink (since that takes some time). So you can add the the drink ingredients to a large pitcher. Stir well, cover, and refrigerate for several hours (until well chilled). Then stir, strain into glasses, add garnishes and serve.
- Or if you’d still like to use the cocktail shaker (it does make a great presentation!), still combine everything in the pitcher and chill it, but pour some from the pitcher into an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake up the individual drinks (just make sure you give the contents of the pitcher a good stir before pouring it into the cocktail shaker).
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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