When it comes to cocktails, there are only a few things I look for: gin or vodka, citrus, and herbs. Whether its a greyhound, a g&t, or a gimlet, I’m a happy girl.
When I was in Myanmar, we visited The Strand hotel, which is basically the only place in the country where anything is more than $10 USD (I’m generalizing…but comparatively this place was basically a palace). They had a gin basil smash on their menu which is right up my alley, so I ordered it. Lapped it up in approximately 4 minutes, and then ordered another. My fiancé and our friends jumped on the smash train as well, because it was just too good to pass up.
After the trip, my friend Boyd and I wanted to recreate the magic we had on our vacation, so while we whipped up this amazing Burmese Noodle Soup, we made these cocktails. We had both assumed it was chock full of lime juice (especially since limes are so juicy and delicious in Asia), come to find out, it was actually lemon juice. We were so convinced limes would be better in the drink that we did a blind taste test and tried a version of this recipe with limes instead. Well — it was unanimous that we preferred the lemon version.
Sidenote: I also happened to go to a cocktail making course courtesy of Yelp and Hendricks a few weeks ago, and while I pretty much always buy Hendricks anyways, it solidified my love! Proof of said love:
Now for the recipe:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix the water and sugar and heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sugar fully dissolves. Remove from the heat and set aside to let cool.
In the base of a cocktail shaker, muddle 8-10 basil leaves with .75 oz (1/2 shot) of simple syrup. Muddle very thoroughly, about 2-3 minutes.
To the cocktail shaker, add in 3 oz (2 shots) of gin and 1.5 oz (1 shot) of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Add ice to the shaker and shake for 1 minute.
Strain into a glass with crushed ice or an ice ball.
Enjoy!
Adapted from: Hendricks
Makes: 1 cocktail
Time: 5 minutes
- 8-10 Basil leaves (Thai basil if you can find it)
- .75 oz. Simple syrup
- 3 oz. Gin (I used Hendricks)
- 1.5 oz. Lemon juice (the juice of 1 to 1.5 lemons)
In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix the water and sugar and heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sugar fully dissolves. Remove from the heat and set aside to let cool.
In the base of a cocktail shaker, muddle 8-10 basil leaves with .75 oz (1/2 shot) of simple syrup. Muddle very thoroughly, about 2-3 minutes.
To the cocktail shaker, add in 3 oz (2 shots) of gin and 1.5 oz (1 shot) of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Add ice to the shaker and shake for 1 minute.
Strain into a glass with crushed ice or an ice ball.
Enjoy!
Crunchy Salty Sweet 