Eating seasonally doesn't just apply to food - it also applies to cocktails! The local BC cherries this year are absolutely amazing. Along with baking cherry clafoutis and marinating grilled chicken in a cherry balsamic glaze, I'm definitely making a few batches of these Cherry Basil Smashes.
A "smash" cocktail is essentially a formula of: a spirit base, seasonal fruit, an herb, some sugar (or simple syrup), ice (either in the cocktail or strained out) & optional water or club soda to dilute. Feel free to play around with different fruits and spirits. In colder weather I tend to lean more toward rye & bourbon based cocktails, while in warmer months I often reach for the gin. For this Cherry Basil Smash, I thought I'd shake things up and use a summer fruit with a cool weather spirit - bourbon. If you would like to swap out the bourbon, add vodka or an herbal forward gin, it's totally up to you! I have also opted to omit the club soda component of a smash. If you favour a more diluted cocktail, please feel free to top your cocktail with 2-4 oz of chilled club soda.
Have fun playing, and as always, if you do try this recipe, let me know what you think! Either leave a comment below or post on social to #mykuratedlife.
Here's to cherry season!
Krista
Cherry Basil Smash
makes 1 drink
Ingredients
2 oz bourbon
6 cherries, pitted and cut into half
1 oz simple syrup (1:1 sugar:water syrup)
4 basil leaves
1 oz lemon juice
2 quick dashes of Angostura bitters
1-2 cherries to garnish
Method
Add the pitted and halved cherries, basil leaves and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker. Using a muddler, gently tamp and turn the mixture until the cherries are gently "smashed" and the basil is lightly bruised. Then add bourbon, lemon juice and bitters. Fill the cocktail shaker with ice and agitate until the shaker is chilled and has condensation on the outside.
Strain the cocktail into an Old Fashioned glass. I like to then spoon a few of the muddled cherries from the shaker into each glass, as I love how they look floating in the cocktail. Place one large ice cube into the cocktail and garnish with extra cherries. Serve immediately.
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