• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Pate and The G&M Kitchen
    • Contact Me
  • Recipes
    • Cakes
    • Cupcakes
    • Pies and Cobblers
    • Cookies
    • Bread
    • Breakfast
    • Muffins
    • Rolls
    • Donuts
    • Biscuits
    • Cream Puffs
    • Desserts
    • Cocktails

The G & M Kitchen

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Photography Portfolio
  • Contact Me
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Say hey y'all!:

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Photography Portfolio
    • Contact Me
    • Recipes
    • About
  • Say hey y'all!:

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
  • ×
    • A rocks glass filled with the cocktail and garnished with a pickle pear, mint and mini pickles on a pink marble back ground.
      Pickled Patrick Cocktail
    • A perfectly poured glass of Irish espresso martini with ample foam and 3 espresso beans and a mint sprig.
      Irish Espresso Martini
    • A parmesan and pickle martini on a green tile table with parmesan cheese almost filling the glass and its garnished with a parmesan crisp.
      Parmesan and Pickle Martini
    • Two glasses of the rose elderflower gin and tonic filled with rose buds on a pink marble table.
      Rose and Elderflower Gin and Tonic
    • Two chocolate covered strawberry old fashioned on a pink marble table and garnished with a chocolate strawberry.
      Chocolate Covered Strawberry Old Fashioned
    • A pickle gin and tonic in a large tonic glass garnished with dill and pickles.
      Pickle Gin and Tonic
    • A heart shaped donut hole being dipped in strawberry sauce.
      Donut Holes with Strawberry Dipping Sauce
    • A vanilla espresso old fashioned with two mini donut holes on a pink marble table.
      Vanilla Espresso Old Fashioned
    • A mandarin smash in a rocks glass on a pink marble slab and garnished with a mandarin leaf.
      Mandarin Basil Smash
    • Apple cider hot buttered bourbon in an etched glass mug on a pink marble slab.
      Apple Cider Hot Buttered Bourbon
    • A maple cinnamon old fashioned in a slightly distorted glass and garnished with a dried orange slice and cinnamon stick.
      Maple cinnamon old fashioned
    • A tray of cinnamon rolls with the center and bottom left roll frosted.
      Maple Bourbon Cinnamon Rolls
    Home » Recipes » Cocktails

    Published: May 22, 2024 · Modified: May 24, 2024 by Pate Giltner 4 Comments

    Hot Honey Strawberry Bourbon Smash

    292 shares
    • Facebook
    • Email
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    This hot honey strawberry bourbon smash is the perfect cocktail for hot honey lovers or for those who love a bit of spice in their drinks! It perfectly combines fresh strawberries, fresh basil, hot honey, and bourbon. This is also one of those cocktails; the longer it sits, the better it gets!

    Two strawberry smash cocktails garnished with strawberry halfs on a pink marble table.

    I love a summery bourbon cocktail, and if you love a smash - a mint julep is another great way to enjoy with bourbon during the summer; check out this Fresh Blackberry Mint Julep, Passion Fruit Mint Julep, and Strawberry Mint Julep.

    Jump to:
    • Key Ingredients: 
    • How to make this recipe: 
    • Expert tips:
    • Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
    • Hot Honey Strawberry Bourbon Smash

    Key Ingredients: 

    The ingredients for the cocktail on a pink marble table.
    • Bourbon: This is a bourbon-based cocktail, and the bourbon flavor really shines through, so using a basic good, tasting bourbon is important. Woodford Reserve is my go-to bourbon for smashes because it has an even flavor and mixes well with several flavors. 
    • Hot Honey: I love hot honey; it's the perfect spicy-sweet condiment! My go-to brand is Mike's Hot Honey. Honey and bourbon are a great combination, and the spicy kick is great with strawberries.
    • Strawberries: Fresh or frozen strawberries work really well. Just thaw the frozen berries so that they are soft enough to muddle with the honey. 
    • Basil: A little fresh basil gives this drink a herby kick.

    See recipe card for quantities.

    How to make this recipe: 

    Strawberries and basil in a rocks glass with hot honey being poured over them.

    Step 1: Add 2-3 sliced strawberries (about ⅓ cup) and two basil leaves to a rocks glass. Top with ¼ - ½ ounce of hot honey. Depending on your level of spice.

    A muddler is sitting on top of the strawberries in the rocks glass.

    Step 2: Thoroughly muddle so that the strawberries are almost all liquid.

    Bourbon being poured into the rocks glass.

    Step 3: Top with 1 ½ ounce bourbon and ice and stir well. Stir thoroughly so that the muddled strawberries do not stay at the bottom of the glass.

    the finished cocktail garnished with ½ strawberry and basil.

    Step 4: Garnish with fresh strawberries and more basil.

    Expert tips:

    Suggested Barware: Use a jigger to measure your bourbon and syrup accurately.

    You can use a wooden spoon to smash the fruit if you don't have a muddler. 

    Make sure you thoroughly muddle the strawberries and honey so that they are almost all liquid before adding the bourbon and ice.

    Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

    • A gingerbread old fashioned garnished with and ornage slice and a little gingerbread house on a purple marble table.
      Gingerbread Old Fashioned
    • A pomegranate julep filled with fine crushed ice and garnished with rosemary on a purple marble table.
      Pomegranate Julep
    • Espresso martini and peppermint ice cream in a large coupe and topped with peppermint shards.
      Espresso Martini Float
    • two whiskey sours, one in a coupe glass and one in a rocks glass, with red bows tied around the glass.
      Spiced and Spicy Whiskey Sour
    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    wo strawberry smash cocktails garnished with strawberry halfs on a pink marble table.

    Hot Honey Strawberry Bourbon Smash

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
    • Author: Pate Giltner
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 0 minutes
    • Total Time: 5 minutes
    • Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
    • Category: Cocktail
    • Method: muddled
    • Cuisine: american
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    This hot honey strawberry bourbon smash is the perfect cocktail for hot honey lovers or for those who love a bit of spice in their drinks! It perfectly combines fresh strawberries, fresh basil, hot honey, and bourbon. This is also one of those cocktails; the longer it sits, the better it gets!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 1-2 oz bourbon
    • 2-3 sliced strawberries (slightly more than ⅓ cup)
    • ¼- ½ oz hot honey
    • 1-2 basil leaves

    Instructions

    1. Add the sliced strawberries and two basil leaves to a rocks glass. Top with ¼ - ½ ounce of hot honey. Depending on your level of spice. 
    2. Thoroughly muddle so that the strawberries are almost all liquid.
    3. Top with 1 ½ ounce bourbon and ice and stir well.
    4. Stir thoroughly so that the muddled strawberries are well distributed and do not stay at the bottom of the glass.
    5. Garnish with fresh strawberries and more basil.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag me @thegandmkitchen — I can't wait to see what you've made!

    More Cocktails

    • A cranberry mule in a copper cup with a red bow on a green marble table.
      Hot Honey Yule Mule
    • A candied pecan old fashioned garnished with an orange, cinnamon, stick, and a candied pecan on a purple marble table.
      Candied Pecan Old Fashioned
    • A pumpkin shaped glass fulled with the pumpkin cocktail and garnished with cinnamon, sage, and marigold.
      Smashing Pumpkin Cocktail
    • A butterbeer old fashioned garnished with cinnamon dust and star anise on a black and orange marble table.
      Butterbeer Old Fashioned

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. elizabeth says

      May 25, 2024 at 6:57 pm

      :

      Reply
      • Sue says

        July 03, 2024 at 6:06 pm

        Too hot with 1/4 oz of hot honey!

        Reply
    2. Anonymous says

      April 29, 2025 at 8:59 pm

      Could we use mint?

      Reply
      • Pate Giltner says

        May 14, 2025 at 10:15 am

        Yes!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    Primary Sidebar

    Pate Giltner holding a cupcake
    Pate Giltner holding a cupcake

    About Pate

    Hi! I'm Pate, the blogger, recipe developer, and photographer behind The G&M Kitchen!

    Raised in the heart of Kentucky, I come from a long line of passionate cooks and bakers. The kitchen was always the heart of our home, where we transformed vegetables into delightful dishes and crafted pies and cakes that emerged from the oven. This tradition of coming together through food and cooking inspired the name of my blog, The G&M Kitchen – 'G' for my father's family, the Giltners, and 'M' for my mother's family, the Millers.

    I also believe if a recipe is missing something, it's probably bourbon.

    Learn more about me →

    Hello and welcome!

    Here at The G&M Kitchen, you will find southern-inspired baking recipes with a modern twist that are easy, elegant, and fun! Everything is made from scratch, designed for the home kitchen, and is simply delicious!

    Want recipes delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe here!

    As featured in: thefeedfeed, Sur La Table, Bake From Scratch, Foodtography School, The Bourbon Review, Bringing it Home

    Trending Recipes

    • House shipped gingerbread bunt cake on a marble platter with cranberries and being dusted powdered sugar
      Moist Bourbon Gingerbread Bundt Cake
    • banana layer cake being dusted with chocolate on a marble cake stand.
      Bourbon Banana Cake with Bourbon Caramel Frosting.
    • Raspberry almond muffin on a vintage muffin tray.
      Raspberry Almond Muffins
    • Apple cider layer cake on a marble tray and decorated with apples.
      Festive Bourbon Apple Cider Cake

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2020 The G&M Kitchen on the Brunch Pro Theme