Celebrate the holiday season by putting a festive twist on a classic whiskey cocktail with this fun and simple Pomegranate Maple Whiskey Smash recipe.
With the holidays right around the corner everyone’s focus is turning to entertaining with friends and family. A big part of that is great food and inventive, holiday-inspired cocktails. It is so much fun to take a classic cocktail, like a whiskey smash, and tailor it to the holiday season. If you have never had one, it is very similar to a mojito with mint and citrus, but made with whiskey.
The great thing about these types of drinks is how easy they are to customize. For this holiday version, I took my inspiration from my favorite place, the local farmers market. It is great to be able to really get to know and connect with the people who grow our food. Farmers and vendors are so knowledgable and willing to talk about their products. It really is a great place to come up with new recipe ideas.
Last weekend I was chatting fall food and possible holiday dishes with one of my favorite farmers when the subject of cocktails came up. I love to incorporate seasonal produce into my boozy concoctions. He recently got his hands on fresh, locally grown pomegranates and I instantly knew they would be perfect in a cocktail.
We tossed around a few different ideas when the idea for this whiskey smash came to mind. A traditional smash has plain whiskey and simple syrup but this holiday version begged for something a little different. There are so many infused liquors available now that are a great way to give your drinks something extra.
We have been crushing on maple flavored whiskey recently and it just screams ‘holidays’! Maple pairs beautifully with the pomegranate in this drink and gives it enough sweetness that you can skip the simple syrup. If you don’t have the flavored whiskey, use plain and add a little maple syrup for sweetness. Top with sparkling water for a little fizz if you want!
What is your favorite holiday cocktail?
- 6 large mint leaves
- ½ small orange, cut into wedges
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils
- ½ ounce pomegranate juice
- 2 ounces maple bourbon
- Mint leaves for garnish
- Sparkling mineral water (optional)
- Add mint, orange wedges, and pomegranate arils to a cocktail shaker. Muddle to release juices.
- Add pomegranate juice, bourbon, and ice to shaker.
- Shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled glass with ice.
- Top with sparkling mineral water, optional. Garnish with mint leaves.
We hope you love this Pomegranate Maple Whiskey Smash cocktail recipe from SoFabFood Contributor, Loriann from Thyme for Cocktails, as much as we do. If you enjoyed this cocktail recipe, be sure to find more like it in our Cocktails section. For daily recipe inspiration, like us on Facebook, follow us on Pinterest, and stop by our Google+ Community to see all of the amazing recipes our community members are sharing for the holidays. Enjoy!
Disclosure: Message intended for our readers 21+ only. Please drink responsibly!
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