Strawberries, basil and lemon make a bright cocktail for spring and summer gatherings. This version uses gin and a small amount of syrup, with gently muddled fruit rather than a large blended puree. Straining keeps the drink easy to sip while retaining a little fruit texture.
1 cocktail · Prep: 5 minutes · Total: about 5 minutes
At a glance
Strawberry Basil Smash
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 0 min
- Total time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 1 cocktail
Ingredients
| Amount | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 4 | medium ripe strawberries, hulled (about 60 g), plus ½ strawberry for garnish |
| 5 | fresh basil leaves, plus 1 leaf for garnish |
| 60 ml | (2 fl oz) gin |
| 25 ml | (about ¾ fl oz plus 1 tsp) freshly squeezed lemon juice |
| 15 ml | (½ fl oz) simple syrup, or less for very sweet berries |
| — | Ice cubes for shaking and serving |
Instructions
- Gently muddle the hulled strawberries, basil leaves, lemon juice and syrup in a cocktail shaker. Press enough to release the juices without grinding the basil.
- Add the gin and a handful of ice. Shake for 10–15 seconds until well chilled.
- Strain through the shaker strainer into a short glass filled with fresh ice. For fewer seeds and leaf fragments, also use a fine sieve.
- Garnish with the reserved half strawberry and basil leaf, and serve immediately.
Use ripe berries and a light touch
Ripe strawberries need less added sweetness. Gentle muddling releases basil’s aroma without turning the drink into a green puree. Vodka or white rum can replace the gin in equal measure as an optional variation; the base recipe uses gin.
Contains alcohol. Wash the fruit and herbs before use and check spirit labels for allergens.
Ingredients and equipment
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