In my never-ending quest to find new and unique recipes for French Plums, today I’m bringing you this tasty Bourbon-Plum Smash.
Our orchard is brimming right now with these plums. I’ve been able to sell more than a handful this year, and converted a bunch more to my Jalapeno Plum Sauce. But no matter how many I process, I will still have more! This Bourbon Plum Smash is a refreshing cocktail and an especially tasty way to cool off after a hot afternoon.
This recipe makes 2 cocktails, and I use 2 or 3 small European plums per drink. (European plums are oblong and include French and Italian prune-plums. They tend to be smaller and sweeter than the round Japanese plums) If you are using the larger Santa Rosa or Satsuma plums, you will only need one plum per 2 drinks. If you are serving up for 4 people (or more), you can straight up double the amounts. However, of course, you probably want to make this in smaller batches, otherwise the liquid will become too much for your cocktail shaker.
Half of your plum serving will go into the shaker to be smashed, and the other serving should be saved for your garnish. You can also experiment and sub out your mint for some jalapeno – so yummy!!
If you have a muddler, this is the best way to really get all of the flavor from the fruit prior to using the shaker. If you don’t have a muddler, you can use a wooden spoon or a narrow meat pounder or ricer, if you have one.
Tools
- Cocktail Shaker
- Muddler or Wooden Spoon
- Rocks Glasses
Ingredients
- 4 French or Italian plums for every 2 cocktails. You could also use one large round plum, although you might have to adjust your simple syrup amounts, as these aren’t quite as sweet. Or, just use the amazing French Plum Vanilla Syrup for sale in our garden shop.
- 2 parts Bourbon (4 ounces for every 2 cocktails)
- 1 part Grand Marnier or Cointreau (2 ounces for every 2 cocktails)
- 1 ounce (2 Tablespoons) lemon juice
- Splash of simple syrup, according to taste. We use about 1 tablespoon. (instructions to make your own simple syrup are below)
- Fresh Mint (about 8 leaves; 4 per serving) Or, you can sub out the mint for jalapeno for a nice kick!
Putting it Together
Making the Simple Syrup
You don’t need to run out and purchase simple syrup! It is so easy – it is literally just sugar and water in equal parts. In the past, drinks were made with a sugar cube and then muddled for a very long time to attempt to dissolve the sugar (Think: the Old Fashioned). But now simple syrup is used because it is so much easier and faster to infuse cocktails.
For this recipe, you only need about a quarter cup of each. Warm the sugar in the water in a small pot on the stove for a minute until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Making the Bourbon Plum Smash
- For 2 cocktails, put half of the plum servings into the cocktail shaker. Add the mint, simple syrup and lemon juice. Muddle thoroughly; until the plums and mint are fully smashed.
- Fill the shaker halfway with ice – right on top of the muddled plum. Then add the Bourbon and Gran Marnier. Cover and shake vigorously.
- Put fresh crushed ice into two rocks glasses. Strain the cocktail over the ice in the rocks glasses. Serve with a plum slice and/or a sprig of mint.
