artandcook-shop

photographer

Hallie Burton

prop stylist

Kiera Coffee

recipe developer

Kelly Kubala

Serves 1

Ingredients

10 fresh blackberries, plus additional for serving
2 basil leaves, plus additional for serving
½ oz simple syrup
2 ½ oz gin (I used Hendrick's)
¾ oz elderflower liqueur (I used St-Germain)
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz club soda

A smash is a versatile and refreshing cocktail made of fruits and liquors. The flavor combos are nearly endless and they’re super fun to make! In this smash, sweet, tangy blackberry is the star while basil adds a herbaceous note that complements the piney, floral gin. The first and most important step in making this cocktail is muddling the blackberry and the basil together. Why muddle? Muddling allows you to gently massage ingredients to coax out their flavors and aromas. The result: a more flavorful cocktail. For this recipe, the muddled bits are strained out after you shake the cocktail, leaving behind only the smooth, mouth-watering flavors of blackberry and basil.

Instructions

Combine blackberries, basil, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Using a muddler or the back of a wooden spoon, gently massage blackberries and basil to release the juicy berry flavors and the oils of the basil leaves, about 1 minute. Fill the shaker with ice. Pour gin, elderflower liqueur, and lemon juice over the ice. Cover and shake vigorously until the shaker is extremely cold and begins to frost, about 20 seconds. Fill a rocks glass with ice and double-strain the cocktail through a Hawthorne strainer and a fine mesh strainer into the prepared glass. Garnish with additional basil leaves and blackberries as desired. Cheers!