Watercress & Basil Gin Smash

Background

Whereas a 'Julep' is made from mint, a 'Smash' is generally accepted as a muddled-herb cocktail mixed with a base spirit, sweetener and some kind of citrus (or other acidic juice component).

In this case we're using both Basil and Watercress as an adaptation of Jörg Meyer's “gin pesto” invented at the bar Le Lion in Hamburg back in 2008.

The pesto-like quality of the basil sounds like an odd companion to gin, but the peppery spice and herbaceous notes in our Twisted Nose gin really make this work, so give it a try - it will certainly be a talking point and we think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Ingredients

• 50ml Twisted Nose Gin
• 20ml fresh Lemon Juice (approx. ½ a lemon)
• 10ml Sugar Syrup
• 8-12 Basil Leaves
• Sprig of Watercress

Method

Muddle the watercress and basil in the base of a cocktail shaker and leave for 5-10 minutes. Add the ice, gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup and shake for one minute.

Double-strain into an chilled coupe glass and garnish with watercress and basil leaf.