CLASSIC COCKTAIL · 1800–1849
Gin Smash
The gin answer to the smash: herbal, citrus-bright and built over crushed ice.
1840sHistorical classicResearched
The Gin Smash belongs to the Smash family that emerged in America, especially the South, in the 1840s and peaked in the 1850s. Jerry Thomas included it alongside his Brandy and Whiskey Smashes in his 1862 Bar-Tender’s Guide, describing the style as “simply a julep on a small plan”. The original was gin, sugar, water and mint; modern versions often add lemon and are shaken over ice.
THE RECIPECrisp, herbal and citrus-led
Ingredients
- Gin60 ml
- Simple syrup20 ml
- Lime wedges3
- Mint leaves8
- Crushed iceto fill
Method
Muddle the lime and mint with the syrup, add the gin and shake with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig and a lime wheel.
Rocks glass · crushed ice · mint and lime