havana smash

1/2 Lemon, in wedges or pieces (*)
6-8 leaf Mint
1 1/2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
1/2 oz Swedish Punsch (Kronan)
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Combier)

Muddle lemon wedges, add mint, and lightly muddle again. Add the rest of the ingredients, shake with ice, and double strain into a double old fashioned glass. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with mint sprigs.
(*) A medium lemon that will generate around 3/4 oz juice when muddled.

Two Mondays ago, I returned home late and was in the mood for a final drink. Instead of looking up a novel recipe, I became inspired about the apricot-Swedish punsch combination in the Havana Cocktail via thinking about the Transatlantic Orbit's apricot-cinnamon duo a few nights before. I decided to take the Havana Cocktail in the direction of Eastern Standard's Smash with muddled citrus wedges and mint (opposed to the classic Smash which is a Mint Julep on a smaller scale).
The Havana Smash met the nose with a mint and lemon bouquet. Next, lemon and orchard fruit notes on the sip set up for gin's botanicals and Swedish punsch's funky rum flavors on the swallow with mint, tea, and fruity notes on the finish.