Gin Basil Smash

Go ahead – get your Gin Basil Smash on!

With Easter around the corner, I’m beginning to think white jeans and lighter cocktails. The Missouri Botanical Gin, made by 1220 Artisan Spirits of St Louis, was a delightful discovery. Distilled with a blend of locally sourced herbs, including juniper, rose hips, elderflower, bergamot, echinacea, calamus, and citrus, this lovely gin is bursting with herbal notes and provides a fantastic base for cocktails with similar flavors. The Gin Basil Smash is just that — a refreshing mix of muddled basil leaves, a touch of sweetness and gin. This cocktail is best enjoyed on the rocks, garnished with fresh basil leaves, a lime slice and consumed while seated on the deck overlooking your garden. Cheers!

Ingredients:
2 oz Missouri Botanical Gin
12 (or more) fresh basil leaves, plus a small stem for garnish
2 teaspoons simple syrup (or to taste)*
1 oz fresh lime juice
fresh lime slices

To Serve: 
Slice lime into halves, reserving 1 slice per glass for garnish.
Squeeze the remaining halves to yield 1 oz juice.
Muddle the basil leaves well in a rocks glass; add lime juice, and muddle on!
Strain juice into a cocktail shaker; discard all leaves.
Fill a rocks glass with ice.
Combine gin and simple syrup with lime juice in cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake well.
Pour into ice-filled rocks glass.
Garnish with a lime slice and sprig of basil.

Serves 1
Feel free to personalize this drink to your taste; swap the simple syrup for Cointreau or another citrus flavored spirit; replace (or add to) the limes with other citrus flavors; rosemary is cozy touch in colder months. Experiment; use your garden and imagination to explore new possibilities!

Cheers,
Sue McNamara CS, CSW
Certified Sommelier, Court of Master Sommeliers
Certified Specialist of Wine, Society of Wine Educators

To obtain a copy of this recipe click on Gin Basil Smash

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