Refreshing, quaffable, delicious — the Gin Basil Smash is a true example of a modern classic cocktail.

The Gin Basil Smash is one of those rare recipes that, when you come across it, you think to yourself: “Why didn’t I think of that?”

The drink is the work of Germany’s Joerg Meyer and was created in 2008 at his bar, Le Lion, in Hamburg.

It takes a simple Gin Sour recipe, and adds a handful of basil to the mix for freshness.

It’s simple, it’s delicious — it’s a drink that has made its way around the world.

Gin Basil Smash

Ingredients

• 50ml gin
• 8 basil leaves
• 25ml lemon juice
• 15ml sugar syrup

Instructions

1. Softly muddle the basil with lemon in a mixing glass.
2. Add the gin, lemon and sugar, fill the mixing glass with ice, and shake hard.
3. Fine strain over good ice into a rocks glass, and garnish with basil.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe created by Joerg Meyer in 2008.