SMASH!

Hide your bourbon, hide yo basil… because once you taste a sip of this cocktail you won’t be able to stop.

I’ve been keeping this recipe from you for far too long. It’s been my summer go-to and with the long weekend coming up, there’s no better way to keep the summer vibes going than by sippin’ on this SMASH.

It’s super easy to make and you can do it two ways – one’s lazier than the other and makes it a little more boozy/bourbony, the other is more of a fancy cocktail so it’s kind of like a choose your own adventure cocktail. Plus, you only need 4 ingredients + ice. Does ice count as an ingredient?! EASY PEASY!

This recipe is easily doubled, tripled, quadrupled (you get where I’m going). I recommend throwing on this song and get to shakin’.

whiskey basil smash

yields 1 drink

quick and easy way (more pronounced bourbon flavor)

2 oz bourbon

handful of fresh basil leaves (about 6 – 8 depending on how big)

splash of pure maple syrup (about 1 tsp), to taste

1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

ice, both crushed and a large rock

1 gorgeous basil leaf for garnish

In a cocktail strainer (or mason jar) add basil, whiskey and maple syrup and muddle for a good 30 seconds to bruise that basil and infuse as much flavor as you possibly can. Fill the shaker up with crushed or cubed ice and top with the lemon juice. Shake that sucker for a good minute. You want a little bit of the ice to naturally dilute the drink which balances out the cocktail.

Strain over 1 large ice cube or regular cubes, or "neat" if you don’t have a big “rock”. Place the basil leaf in the palm of your hand and give it a good smack. This releases more basil essence and it’s just fun. Place slapped basil on top, sip, enjoy, repeat… ahhhh!

fancy way (more like a true crafted cocktail and the bourbon is less pronounced)

2 oz bourbon

1 oz basil syrup

1 TBSP lemon juice

ice, both crushed and a large rock

1 gorgeous basil leaf for garnish

for the basil syrup:

1 c. filtered water

2 c. moderately packed basil leaves (thin stems are ok)

1/3 c. pure maple syrup

ice bath

To make the syrup:

Set up your ice bath. In a small sauce pan, blanch the basil in 1 c. boiling water for 15 seconds. Remove basil with tongs and immediately place in an ice bath. Turn the boiling water off. After 1 minute, transfer the basil to a blender. Place your sauce pan in the ice water to cool it down for about 5 minutes. 

Once the basil infused water is cool to the touch, pour it in the blender with the basil leaves, add the maple syrup and blend on high for 30 seconds. Strain with a fine mesh sieve and pour into a jar and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. It’s most vibrant green right away but can be made up to 2 days in advance. 

When ready to make the cocktail, add the bourbon, basil syrup and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Give it a good shake for about a minute, strain and serve over ice. Garnish with fresh basil.

The lemon juice will start to turn the drink from a vibrant green to a slightly murkier green over time so don’t add the lemon until the very end to keep it purdy. It will still taste good once the color starts to change but who doesn’t love drinking a bright green cocktail?!

improv style:

This cocktail is dead simple to make and is easily substituted. I like to use maple syrup to keep it refined sugar free but you can easily use your favorite sweetener. Use regular sugar, honey, agave – whatever you have on hand!

Speaking of sweetener, I’m not the biggest SWEET cocktail fan. I like it balanced. If you’re more on the sweet side, add more. If you’re anti-sweet, try it with less or without. I find just a touch really balances it nicely though.

Not a fan of bourbon? I wasn’t either last summer. Something changed and now I want ALL THE BOURBON. If you’re not a whiskey fan, this cocktail is amazing with gin, vodka and even white tequila. Whatever you fancy, shake it up!

Basil… delicious. But so are lots of herbs. You could try this with your favorite like sage, rosemary or thyme.

How would you tweak the recipe to make it your own?!

I experimented with infusing bourbon with basil. It worked but didn't really add anything. Muddling is quicker and easier in my opinion.

 my sister came to visit last week and you know we were sippin' on the smashes! 

liquid courage

You guys, I have a confession to make. I’m obsessed. Obsessed with this indie magazine called Cherry Bombe and everything it stands for. It combines two things I’m passionate about, food and feminism. So when I found out they host an annual conference called the Jubilee, I knew I had to go. So I booked a ticket to the conference and went by myself.

 

It was a full day of inspiring women speaking about some really interesting and powerful stuff in a room filled with 300 bad ass women from all walks of life. And something weird happened.

I totally froze up. I walked in like a new girl on the first day of school completely overwhelmed, looking around all doe-eyed hoping someone, anyone would come up and want to be my friend. It was terrifying. Logically it made no sense. I knew that at the core, everyone was here because we have a common interest – A LOVE OF FOOD and this amazing magazine.

It didn’t matter, my brain when into super shy, reserved mode. Which if you know me is not really my style at all. Has this ever happened to you? 

By lunch time I finally grew the courage to walk up to a group of strangers and asked if I could sit with them. I put my big girl panties on and just broke the ice. Shocker, I didn’t die and I met 3 incredible ladies and I’m so glad I pushed past that fear.

If you find yourself in a similar situation soon, try to push past it and conquer that fear. And if you need a little extra push, you can always grab a little liquid courage with this cocktail.

Inspired by Cherry Bombe Magazine, I came up with the idea for this drink. I’ve been super into bourbon & whiskey lately and I wanted to create a strong drink for a bad ass lady. It’s perfectly balanced, not too sweet and not too tart. And it packs quite the punch. The best part? It’s super easy to make.

cherry bombe cocktail

Yields 1 drink

ingredients:

1 oz Rye Whiskey (I like Wild Turkey Rye)

1 oz sweet vermouth

¼ tsp tart cherry juice concentrate

4 – 5 dashes grapefruit bitters

ice

boozy cherry for garnish

In a large mixing glass, combine the whiskey, vermouth and tart cherry juice. Add about ½ c. crushed ice and stir for 30 seconds so that the ice slightly dilutes the drink. Pour over a large rock (ice cube) or crushed ice and toss in a few cherries. Sip, mix and repeat – responsibly of course.

improv style:

don’t like rye? You can use your favorite type of whiskey. Don’t like whiskey, use white rum, vodka or gin. It will be a totally different drink but still a delish cocktail!

Can’t find tart cherry juice or don’t like it? This is a cherry bombe but you could substitute for pomegranate juice concentrate or even acai juice.

Grapefruit bitters is a specialty bitter I have in my cocktail kit. I do believe they make all the difference in this drink. If you don’t want to buy an obscure ingredient like this, try squeezing the peel of a fresh grapefruit into the drink. You’ll get some of the bitter and floral notes that the grapefruit bitters imparts.

Sometimes I like to squeeze an orange peel and drop it into this drink. It’s like a cherry old fashioned without the sugar cube.

If this drink is too stiff for you, try adding in some sparkling water. Lacroix makes a cherry lime flavor that would be so good with this drink. You could also try adding a sugar cube, a splash of honey or maple syrup to sweeten the cocktail if you like your drinks a little less strong/tart.

 

Make it the way you like it! How would you improvise the cocktail?