Bourbon-Basil Smash

Name: Bourbon-Basil Smash
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar; ½ cup (120 ml) water; ½ cup (25 g) packed fresh basil leaves, plus 8 additional leaves, divided; ½ cup (25 g) packed fresh basil leaves, plus 8 additional leaves, divided; ½ cup (109 g) ice, plus more for serving; ½ cup (4 ounces / 120 ml) bourbon; ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons); ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons); Basil sprigs, for garnish; Lemon slices, for garnish

Preparation info

Serves
2

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
45 min

Appears in

My Southern Kitchen

By Ivy Odom

Published 2025

About

Luis and I have quite the bourbon collection. Our harder-to-find bourbons are reserved for sipping neat or on the rocks, but these bottles are our go-tos for sipping and mixing drinks for our Brown Water Fridays: Woodford Reserve, Blade and Bow, Buffalo Trace, and Elijah Craig Small Batch.

Ingredients

½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
½ cup (120

Americas
United States
Drinks
Vegan
South America

Method

In a small saucepan, bring sugar, water, and ½ cup (25 g) of the basil to a boil over medium heat. Boil until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Pour basil simple syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a small heatproof container, discarding leaves.
Muddle remaining 8 basil leaves in bottom of a cockta