Brandy Smash (1862)
Jerry Thomas's muddled mint and brandy cocktail, the direct ancestor of the Mint Julep and Mojito families.
- 5 min
- Easy
- tumbler
- 7 ingredients
Brandy Smash (1862)
Ingredients
- Fresh mint sprigs3 –4 sprigs
- White sugar1 tsp
- Waterdash
- Brandy or Cognac1 wineglass (1½ oz)
- Crushed iceto fill
- Lemon (for garnish)½ slice
- Orange (for garnish)1 slice
Method
- Take 3–4 sprigs of fresh mint.
- Press them in the bottom of a tumbler with 1 teaspoon of white sugar dissolved in a dash of water.
- Add 1 wineglass (1½ oz) of brandy and fill the glass with crushed ice.
- Stir gently to combine without bruising the mint further.
- Ornament with a half-slice of lemon, a slice of orange, and a few sprigs of fresh mint.
- Serve with a straw.
What you need
Nothing fancy. Here is what to look for. We earn a small cut if you buy through these links, at no cost to you.
A long bar spoon
Long enough to reach the bottom of a tall glass, with a twisted stem.
See on Amazon ↗The hero bottle
See 1 Brandy or Cognac drinksWhere it comes from
Jerry Thomas grouped Smashes alongside Juleps in his 1862 guide, defining the category with characteristic directness: "The Smash is simply a small Julep." The terse definition is deceptively useful. It tells you the Smash was understood as a recognizable category by 1862, not a novelty — drinkers knew what to expect when they ordered one.
The muddled mint cocktail has roots in American drinking culture stretching back to at least the 1780s, when Virginia gentlemen were combining fresh spearmint with sugar and whiskey in a silver cup on warm mornings. By the 1820s the Mint Julep had become so associated with Southern hospitality that it appeared in travel writing and fiction as a synecdoche for the American South itself. Thomas's Smash domesticated the Julep for the urban Northern bar: smaller, faster, equally refreshing.
The Brandy Smash specifically follows French brandy's dominance in American cocktail culture throughout the 1850s and 1860s. Before American whiskey production scaled up and before Phylloxera devastated French vineyards in the 1870s, Cognac and domestic apple brandy were the default spirits for serious cocktails. Thomas's Smash, Old Fashioned, and Sling recipes all listed brandy first. The Phylloxera epidemic that wiped out most French vineyards between 1863 and 1900 shifted American cocktails toward whiskey almost overnight — making Thomas's brandy-first world a historical snapshot that lasted barely a decade after he published.
The modern Smash has been revived as a craft cocktail category in its own right. The Dale DeGroff and later Sam Ross-era bars of the 2000s rehabilitated the muddled mint + spirit + citrus formula, producing variants from the Whiskey Smash to fruit-forward seasonal riffs. Each one owes a structural debt to Thomas's 1862 chapter.
Tips from the bar
- Gentle muddling only — you want to express the mint oils, not pulverize the leaves. Three or four firm presses with a flat muddler, then stop. Broken green plant matter makes a bitter, grassy drink.
- Thomas specified brandy broadly; a quality VS or VSOP Cognac works beautifully. Armagnac produces an earthier, more rustic result that suits the period feel.
- Pebble or crushed ice is non-negotiable for texture. Large cubes stay too cold and don't dilute correctly — the gentle melt from crushed ice is part of the flavour balance.
- Serve with a straw clipped short enough that you nose the mint garnish with each sip — Thomas was specific about this service detail.
- To make closer to Thomas's original, use gomme syrup (gum arabic dissolved in sugar syrup) instead of plain sugar solution — it gives the silky, slightly thick texture that period "fine sugar" syrups produced.
Twists worth trying
- Whiskey Smash (1862)
- Thomas listed a Whiskey Smash in the same chapter using identical technique with rye whiskey. The spice of period rye creates a drier, more assertive smash. Use a high-rye bourbon or straight rye and reduce the sugar slightly.
- Gin Smash (1862)
- The third variant in Thomas's chapter. Use Old Tom gin (the period-appropriate style — sweeter and less juniper-forward than London Dry) for a floral, herbal smash that reads almost like a garden cocktail.
- Peach Brandy Smash
- Add a barspoon of peach preserves or 1/4 oz peach liqueur to the muddling stage. Peach and mint is an American Southern combination with long precedent; it softens the brandy's edge and adds stone-fruit sweetness.
What to eat with it
- Cucumber sandwiches or finger sandwiches
- Fresh strawberries with cream
- Mild soft cheese (chèvre, ricotta) on crackers
- Cold poached chicken
- Lemon pound cake
The finished drink
Questions
What is in a Brandy Smash (1862)?
A Brandy Smash (1862) is made with fresh mint sprigs, white sugar, water, brandy or cognac, crushed ice, lemon (for garnish), orange (for garnish).
What glass do you use for a Brandy Smash (1862)?
Serve a Brandy Smash (1862) in a tumbler.
What does a Brandy Smash (1862) taste like?
Expect fresh, minty, fruity.
Reviewed May 5, 2026
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