1 oz Lemon Juice (3/4 oz)
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
Handful Basil Leaves
Muddle the basil in a shaker, add the rest of the ingredients, shake with ice, and double strain into a Double Old Fashioned glass. Fill with ice and garnish with a basil sprig.
Two Mondays ago, I was in the midst of reading Robert Simonson's A Proper Drink when I spotted the Gin Basil Smash. The drink was created by Jörg Meyer in 2008 at Le Lion at Hamburg, Germany, and it garnered the Best New Cocktail award at the 2008 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. I have had a few drinks with basil including the Silent Order and Surbiton Road, so I was game to try this one especially before the first frost wipes out my herb garden.
The 2017 collection of 855 drink recipes, bartender tributes, and essays on hospitality from CocktailVirgin's Frederic Yarm. Available at 
The 2012 collection of 505 drink recipes, techniques, and Boston bar recommendations from Frederic Yarm. Available at 
Posts
1 comment:
Happy to see this posted here! This cocktail is pretty much the definitive "modern classic" here in Berlin (and much if not all of Germany - at the very least, it's telling that a Hamburg drink has steamrolled anything invented in Berlin). At the bar I tend at, I think I get it requested at least once per shift, despite the fact that we've never had it on our menu. I've seen it advertised on sidewalk chalkboards outside of cafes, etc.
Rare that I see it mentioned outside of Germany, and it's exciting when I do! It's deceptively simple (and honestly I'm maybe a little sick of making it, or maybe that's jealousy talking), but I can't deny that it's pretty damn awesome.
Cheers!
Keith
Post a Comment