Gin Basil Smash
Also known as Basil Smash
Gin, lemon and syrup shaken hard with a handful of basil: the 2008 Hamburg smash that made herbs a base ingredient.
Jörg Meyer made the Gin Basil Smash at Le Lion in Hamburg in 2008, treating basil the way a Julep treats mint — muddled and shaken, then double-strained so the drink keeps the flavour without the shredded leaf. The colour is the giveaway: it comes out pale green. It spread through European bars almost immediately and is now the standard example of a herb-forward smash.
- Other spirits took the same treatment — the rum and tequila basil smashes are direct descendants.
- Rum Basil Smash
- Tequila Basil Smash
- Basil Smash with a splash of soda
“Meyer has said the drink came out of a batch of basil left over from the kitchen rather than from a plan.”
Ingredients
- Gin60 ml
- Lemon juice22.5 ml
- Simple syrup22.5 ml
- Fresh basil leaves8
- Basil sprigto garnish
Method
Gently press the basil in the shaker, add the gin, lemon and syrup, shake hard with ice and double-strain into a rocks glass over ice; garnish with a basil sprig.
Rocks glass · ice · basil sprig