A Dark Ritual Smash combines whiskey and strawberry in a tart, gently bitter and refreshing paloma-style cocktail. Make one with the recipe below; when you need a full service rather than a single glass, the keg build scales the same idea without scaling the prep.
How to make a Dark Ritual Smash
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz Whiskey
- 1/2 oz Strawberry Syrup
- 2 oz fresh grapefruit juice
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- 2 oz grapefruit soda or club soda
Method
- Add the measured still ingredients and citrus to a shaker with ice.
- Shake for 10 seconds, then strain over fresh ice in a highball glass.
- Top with grapefruit soda or club soda, stir once and garnish.
- Taste
- tart, gently bitter and refreshing
- Glassware
- Highball glass
- Garnish
- Grapefruit wedge or lime wheel
Conventional recipe adapted from the Draftology keg specification by Craft Standard.
Substitutions
- No strawberry syrup? Muddle 4–6 fresh strawberries with 1/4 oz simple syrup, then fine-strain the drink.
- Use grapefruit soda instead of fresh juice and club soda for a sweeter, quicker Paloma.
- Choose bourbon for a rounder, sweeter drink or rye whiskey for a drier, spicier finish.
Make a pitcher
- 12 oz Whiskey
- 4 oz Strawberry Syrup
- 16 oz (2 cups) fresh grapefruit juice
- 4 oz fresh lime juice
- 16 oz (2 cups) grapefruit soda or club soda
For a pitcher of eight, multiply every still ingredient by eight and chill the mix before service. Add soda, ginger beer or any other sparkling ingredient to each glass just before serving; batching carbonation early makes the drink go flat.
Want to make it at scale?
Making one Dark Ritual Smash is straightforward. Making a full service means measuring, chilling and repeating that spec all night. The Craft Standard Paloma keg keeps the same flavor direction, but moves the prep into one keg build so every serve comes from the tap.
See the Paloma keg →The Craft Standard keg build
Start with one Paloma 30L Keg, then add the ingredients below through the Keg Spiker and shake well before connecting the keg.
Recipe styles
Put the Dark Ritual Smash on tap.
See the Paloma keg behind this build, including formats, setup and ordering details.
See the Paloma keg →Frequently asked
What is in a Dark Ritual Smash?
1 1/2 oz Whiskey, 1/2 oz Strawberry Syrup, 2 oz fresh grapefruit juice, 1/2 oz fresh lime juice, 2 oz grapefruit soda or club soda.
Can I make a batch of Dark Ritual Smash?
For a pitcher of eight, multiply every still ingredient by eight and chill the mix before service. Add soda, ginger beer or any other sparkling ingredient to each glass just before serving; batching carbonation early makes the drink go flat.
How do I serve Dark Ritual Smash on tap?
Use the Craft Standard Paloma base, add the measured keg ingredients, shake the keg after filling, then connect it to a standard Sankey D coupler.