Basil
Basil for cocktails is sweet basil, usually the large-leaved Genovese type, with a peppery smell edged with anise. Unlike mint it takes a firm muddle: our Gin Basil Smash works ten leaves for about 20 seconds before the shake, and that is what turns the drink green. Never chill it, because below about 12°C the leaves brown and blacken.
Quick Facts
Stems in water at room temperature like cut flowers: the fridge blackens it overnight.
None of the 14 listed allergens.
About Basil
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Sweet and peppery, with a light anise note over green leaf. Muddled firmly it turns a drink bright green and tastes of the fresh herb.
Bar basil is sweet Genovese basil
Sweet basil, Ocimum basilicum, is the kitchen herb sold in supermarkets, and Genovese is its large-leaved Italian type. It smells peppery and green, and faintly of anise. Thai basil is a different variety, with smaller leaves, purple stems and a much stronger aniseed note; it is a fine herb and a different drink.
Basil takes a firm muddle where mint wants a light one
Mint turns bitter when its leaves tear, so it gets one or two gentle presses. Basil works the other way round. Our recipe muddles ten leaves hard, for about 20 seconds, in the lemon and syrup, and the colour that comes out turns the drink green. A muddler with a flat end does the job, and a double strain takes out the shreds.
The three fresh herbs in our recipes
Basil
- How it goes in
- Muddled firmly, about 20 seconds
- Fridge
- No: below about 12°C it blackens
- Keeps
- A few days, stems in water at room temperature
- In our recipes
- Gin Basil Smash
Fresh mint
- How it goes in
- Pressed gently once or twice, or shaken in
- Fridge
- Yes, stems in water
- Keeps
- Three to five days
- In our recipes
- Mojito, Mint Julep, Southside
Coriander
- How it goes in
- Clapped between the palms, not muddled
- Fridge
- Yes, stems in water
- Keeps
- Days, not weeks
- In our recipes
- Picante de la Casa
| Herb | How it goes in | Fridge | Keeps | In our recipes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basil | Muddled firmly, about 20 seconds | No: below about 12°C it blackens | A few days, stems in water at room temperature | Gin Basil Smash |
| Fresh mint | Pressed gently once or twice, or shaken in | Yes, stems in water | Three to five days | Mojito, Mint Julep, Southside |
| Coriander | Clapped between the palms, not muddled | Yes, stems in water | Days, not weeks | Picante de la Casa |
The Gin Basil Smash dates from Hamburg in 2008
It comes from Jörg Meyer’s bar Le Lion, where he created it in the summer of 2008 under the name Gin Pesto, by Difford’s Guide’s account. Our Gin Basil Smash takes 60ml of London dry gin, with lemon juice and simple syrup at 22.5ml apiece and ten leaves. The shake is hard, 10 to 12 seconds; the drink goes into a rocks glass over fresh ice, double strained, and a basil sprig tops it.
Keep basil warm and use it within days
Basil is a warm-climate plant, and cold hurts it. Kept below about 12°C the leaves suffer chilling injury: they brown, blacken and go limp, and a fridge does that fast. Stand the stems in water on the worktop, away from direct sun, and use the bunch in a few days.
A potted plant on a sunny windowsill outlasts any cut bunch, and its leaves are picked as each drink is made. Pick from the top of each stem, which keeps the plant bushy.
Using Basil
Usage
Ten leaves muddled firmly, about 20 seconds, with the lemon juice and syrup, before a hard shake with London dry gin; the drink is strained twice over fresh ice. That is the Gin Basil Smash, our one basil drink, and a basil sprig on top finishes it.
Pro Tip
If a Gin Basil Smash comes out pale, the basil was worked too lightly or was tired before it went in. Add pressure before you add leaves.
Top Tips
- Buy sweet basil with large, soft, unmarked leaves. Thai basil tastes strongly of aniseed and changes the drink.
- Keep it on the worktop with the stems in water, not in the fridge.
- Muddle firmly, but stop before the leaves turn to paste; double straining catches what is left.
- Rub a leaf between finger and thumb before you buy. A good bunch smells of basil at once.
Possible Substitutions
- Fresh Mint: A different drink: cooler and sweeter, and pressed gently, never hard
History & Context
The Gin Basil Smash comes from Le Lion, Jörg Meyer’s bar in Hamburg, where, by Difford’s Guide’s account, he created it in the summer of 2008 as Gin Pesto and blogged about it on 10 July 2008; it became better known as the Gin Basil Smash.
More to explore
Common Questions
What drinks use fresh basil?
Who created the Gin Basil Smash?
Should basil be muddled like mint?
Why is my Gin Basil Smash not green?
Why does basil go black in the fridge?
How do I keep basil fresh for cocktails?
Can I use Thai basil in a Gin Basil Smash?
Sources.
Correct as of 18 October 2026.
- Difford’s Guide, “Gin Basil Smash” (“Created in the summer of 2008 by Jörg Meyer at Le Lion • Bar de Paris, Hamburg … originally named Gin Pesto … blogged … 10th of July 2008”).
Made with Basil
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Often Used With
Updated 18 October 2026