Gin Basil Smash
Gin, lemon, sugar and a fistful of basil smashed into it. Bright green, deeply herbal, and barely twenty years old.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Put the basil leaves in a shaker with the lemon juice and syrup and muddle firmly — you want the leaves broken up and the oils released.
Add the gin, fill with ice and shake hard for 12-15 seconds.
Double strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
Garnish with a basil sprig, slapped between your palms first.
A thoughtful finish
- Muddle the basil properly rather than gently. Unlike mint, basil wants to be smashed — the name is accurate and the drink should be cloudy green.
- Double strain. Basil fragments floating in the drink look careless and catch in your teeth.
- Slap the garnish sprig before you add it. Aroma arrives before flavour and basil's is the whole point.
Common mistakes
- Treating the basil like mint and pressing it gently, which leaves the drink pale and faintly herbal instead of vividly green.
- Not straining out the solids.
- Using a heavily juniper-forward gin that fights the basil. A softer, more citrus-led gin suits it better.
A few good questions.
Basil or mint?
Basil, and the difference matters — basil is savoury and peppery where mint is cooling and sweet. If you use mint you have made a Southside.
Should it be muddled or shaken with the leaves?
Muddle first with the citrus and syrup, then shake with ice. Shaking alone bruises the leaves unevenly and gives a weaker result.
Why is mine brown rather than green?
Oxidised basil, usually from muddling too early and letting it sit. Build and serve it straight away.
What is the Gin Pesto?
Meyer's original name for the same drink. He renamed it the Gin Basil Smash, which travelled better.
Variations
- Southside — Mint instead of basil.
- Whiskey Smash — Bourbon and mint.
- Strawberry Gin Smash — Adds muddled strawberry.
- Gin Sour — The same drink without the herb.
Where it comes from
2008 · Hamburg, Germany · Jörg Meyer · Le Lion — Bar de Paris
Jörg Meyer created it at Le Lion in Hamburg in 2008 and, unusually for a modern classic, documented its spread himself — he posted the recipe publicly and tracked it through blogs and early social media as it travelled. It is a Gin Sour with basil muddled in, and Meyer originally called it the Gin Pesto. It is one of the clearest cases of a cocktail becoming a worldwide standard through the internet rather than through print.
Sources
- Jörg Meyer / Le Lion, Hamburg, 2008 (bartender attribution)
- Robert Simonson, A Proper Drink, 2016 (book)
- Difford's Guide, current (reference)
Strength. About 1.47 US standard drinks at an estimated 21.3% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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