Thai Basil Smash Cocktail Recipe
Gin muddled with Thai basil and palm sugar — aniseed where Italian basil would be peppery.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Old fashioned glass
- ABV: 18%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Gin60 ml (2 oz)
- Fresh lime juice25 ml (0.8 oz)
- Palm sugar syrup20 ml (0.7 oz)
- Thai basil10 piece
How to Make It
- Muddle the Thai basil with the lime juice and palm sugar syrup.
- Add the gin and ice, then shake hard.
- Pour unstrained into a rocks glass.
- Garnish with a fresh basil sprig.
Garnish
Thai basil sprig
What it tastes like
It smells of lemon and lime peel, it has a green, botanical backdrop and it drinks cool and easy.
The technique
Shaking. Anything with juice, syrup, egg white or cream gets shaken: the shaker chills the drink and adds roughly 20% water, and that water is what takes the edge off. Twelve to fifteen seconds, until the tin frosts over. Under-shaking leaves the drink harsh because it never got enough dilution.
Glass and ice
A heavy-bottomed, wide old fashioned glass. Wide enough for one large cube, which is the point: a big cube has less surface area, so the drink gets cold without getting watery.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Gin
- London dry gin: juniper up front, citrus and coriander behind it. Brand really does show here — Beefeater is sharp, Hendrick's floral, Tanqueray juniper-heavy.
- Fresh lime juice
- Freshly squeezed lime. Bottled lime tastes cooked and flat; one lime gives about 30 ml. If you have none, half lemon and half grapefruit juice comes closest.
The Story
Thai basil is a different plant from the Italian kind, and swapping it into a smash changes the drink completely rather than slightly.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Thai Basil Smash mixed?
- It is shaken and served in an old fashioned glass.
- How strong is a Thai Basil Smash?
- Roughly 18% ABV as served — in fortified-wine territory — plan it as a single drink.
- Can a Thai Basil Smash be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Thai Basil Smash hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.