Last week, we kicked off a video series we’re calling TM Happy Hour. With Texas bars closed right now in the fight against COVID-19, Texas Monthly asked some of the state’s best bartenders to show you how they make their favorite at-home cocktails. Every Friday for seven weeks, we are publishing a video and recipe from the bartender, as well as promoting the mixologist’s charity of choice. On tap this week, Megan McClinton, of Fort Worth. McClinton touts the United States Bartenders Guild and Another Round, Another Rally as worthy national outlets that are supporting the hospitality industry, but she has also looked to the Fort Worth Food and Wine Foundation as a source for local relief through the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, which allows local restaurant owners to apply for financial aid for their staffs.
Until recently McClinton was a lead bartender at Fort Worth’s swank neighborhood bar Proper. She’s now bar manager at Fort Worth–based craft distillery and tasting room Blackland Distillery. McClinton offers up a seasonal nod to the classic whiskey smash, a perfect segue into the sizzling summer season with simple, straightforward ingredients layered into a delicious libation that’s perfect for poolside sipping, or to “enjoy on your back patio, porch, or balcony,” McClinton says.
Summertime Smash
Ingredients
- 4 or 5 berries (blackberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries, whatever is available)
- ½ ounce honey syrup (1:1 honey/water—mix on low heat to dissolve honey; refrigerate)
- ¾ ounce lemon juice
- 1¾ ounces bourbon
Directions
- Muddle berries and honey syrup in the bottom of a rocks glass.
- Add lemon juice and bourbon, cover with crushed ice, and stir (slightly lifting ingredients to mix).
- Garnish can vary: use fresh mint if available, or add some additional berries or a lemon wheel.
