Basil Smash

The answer to last night’s “what shall we drink?” turned out to be a Basil Smash. This turns out to be a new cocktail, invented in Hamburg quite recently. I didn’t know that at the time; everything else we’ve been making in this cocktail expedition has been antique.

You muddle some simple syrup, a bunch of basil, and some cut up lemons in the bottom of a shaker. Add ice and gin. Shake really well. Double-strain when pouring.

This really is very good! Mine wasn’t nearly as green as the beauty shot at 365 cocktails, but the basil notes were prominent without being overwhelmingly grassy. I found it at Summit, which is well worth reading and which also features the red variant. A terrific use for some of the last of this summer’s basil, and perhaps a good reason to favor basil for the Aero crop.