
Gin Basil Smash
Learn how to make this potent and refreshing summertime favourite as first created by Jorg Meyer, bartender of Le Lion Bar de Paris in Hamburg.
serves for
ingredients
Garnish
Fresh basil leaves
Glass
Old fashioned (Bass Tumbler)
Equipment
Pestle - shaker - manual citrus juicer - jigger - strainer - fruit tweezers
Method
Shake and double strain
Step 01

Crush 2/3 of the fresh basil leaves in the shaker.
Step 02

Squeeze 1 OZ (30 ml) of lemon juice, using the manual juicer, directly into the jigger (to check the exact amount) and pour it into the shaker.
Step 03

Measure 3/4 OZ (22.5 ml) of cane sugar syrup with the jigger and pour into the shaker.
Step 04

Dose 1 1/2 OZ (45ml) of London dry gin with the jigger and pour into the shaker.
Step 05

Add ice to the shaker.
Step 06

Close the shaker and shake vigorously until the outer metal becomes very cold to the touch.
Step 07

Add a large ice cube to your chosen glass.
Step 08

Open the shaker and pour the cocktail while filtering it with a colander (double strain), the double filtering is done to prevent ice flakes from ending up inside the glass.
Step 09

Garnish the glass with fresh basil leaves. The cocktail is ready to be served.
History
Gin Basil Smash has a rather recent history. In 2008 Jorg Meyer bartender of Le Lion Bar de Paris in Hamburg, created this cocktail initially calling it 'Gin Pesto'.
The inspiration for a herbal cocktail seems to have come a year earlier, during a trip to New York where Meyer tasted a cocktail with mint, then flipped through a French gin recipe book, where he saw a decoration with basil, and the rest is history.
Curiosity
This cocktail is a superhero drink, which saves you from the heat of summer. It achieved great success very quickly, enough to deserve the Best New Cocktail award at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award 2008.

Ivan Della Nave
Born in 1994, Ivan Della Nave was fascinated by art and passionate about photography from a very young age.