Bright green, cold and smelling like a summer garden. A whole handful of basil is pressed and shaken with gin, lemon and sugar, so the herb is not a garnish but the main flavour.
2 oz
London dry gine.g. Tanqueray · Gordon's · Beefeater · Bombay Sapphire · Sipsmith
¾ oz
lemon juice about half a lemon
¾ oz
simple syrup
12 leaves
basil a big handful of leaves
Garnish: Basil sprig · Ice: Ice cubes
Gin Basil Smash
Fresh and herbal with peppery basil, clean lemon acidity and juniper from the gin. Medium strength and very refreshing.
The Gin Basil Smash was created by Jörg Meyer at his bar Le Lion in Hamburg in 2008. Meyer has said that the idea came from a Whiskey Smash he had tasted at Pegu Club in New York, and that he first called his version the "Gin Pesto" because of its green colour and generous amount of basil.
The drink spread through the international bar community with remarkable speed, helped by bartenders who had visited Le Lion and by early cocktail blogs. Within a few years it was on menus around the world and became one of the best-known cocktails ever created in Germany. It belongs to the smash family: spirit, citrus, sugar and fresh herbs, muddled and shaken.
Jörg Meyer created it in 2008 at his bar Le Lion in Hamburg.
It works, but it gives a strong anise note. Classic Genovese basil is the standard.
Yes. Shake the basil very hard with ice and double strain; the flavour will be a little lighter.
The perfect sound
Green, herbal and fresh from Hamburg.
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