Blackberry Basil Whiskey Smash
Ingredients
Cocktail:
- ¼ cup blackberries
- 3 large basil leaves
- ½ oz simple syrup
- 1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 oz good Irish whiskey
- soda water to taste
- extra basil and blackberries for garnish
Steps
- Make simple syrup as follows:
- Place the sugar and water in a small (ideally nonstick) pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature.
- Set aside 1 oz for your cocktail, then store the rest in a sealed glass jar in the fridge for up to 1 month.
- Muddle the basil, berries, simple syrup, and lemon juice in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.
- Fill shaker ½ way with ice, then add the whiskey.
- Shake well. Strain into cocktail glass with desired amount of ice.
- Top off with soda water to taste. Stir gently to combine.
- Garnish with additional blackberries and basil.
Notes:
This recipe comes from my mom, Bonnie.
Try substituting ginger beer for the soda water if you want to add a little complexity.
You can also use a good bourbon instead of the Irish whiskey if that speaks to you. After a few of these, everything will speak to you.