Summer is in full splashy swing and the G&Ts are flowing. But come on, you can handle more than a two-ingredient quaff when it comes to gin, that most botanical of spirited options, can’t you? Sure you can!
Although juniper berries are the one botanical ingredient all gins must contain — that is, in order to be blessed by the Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau, the federal arm that, among other responsibilities, regulates alcohol and the labeling of such — most gin producers take a garden-variety approach, using myriad herbs, spices, fruits, barks and bits to put their individual imprint on the spirit.
Honest Man Hospitality tends to take an artist’s plan of attack to spirit sourcing, hunting down producers who make products that broaden the liquid color palette when it comes to creating cocktails for the venerable East End restaurant group.
Bust out the summer watermelon for this fresh, citrusy, herbaceous summer sipper. (Photos by Doug Young)
For the Watermelon Smash, which debuted this summer on the Rowdy Hall cocktail menu, they didn’t have to travel too far to find the perfect gin with just the right seasonal flourish.
Distilled from New York corn, Alex Clark’s Fort Hamilton New World Dry Gin has a soft, round feel in texture and is distilled with 11 botanicals, including the traditional coriander, angelica root, citrus zest, star anise and cinnamon, as well as cucumber and melon, which is what makes it lend itself so well to summery sipping — and Rowdy Hall’s smashing smash
in particular.
What’s better, if one of Rowdy’s ever-adept bartenders aren’t mixing one up for you, this is a pretty easy one to smash at home.
Rowdy’s Watermelon Smash
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 oz Fort Hamilton New World Dry Gin
- 2 oz watermelon purée
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz Thai basil syrup
- watermelon slice or cut-outs for garnish
For Thai basil syrup
- 6 oz agave
- 6 oz water
- 10 to 12 medium to large Thai basil leaves, gently rinsed and pressed dry
Directions
- Add all liquid ingredients to an ice-filled shaker.
- Shake vigorously until well-chilled, then double-strain into a Collins or highball glass with pebbled ice.
- Garnish with a thin slice of watermelon or skewered festive watermelon cut-outs. Cheers!
For Thai basil syrup
- In a small saucepan, heat the agave and water together until boiling. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
- Combine syrup and basil leaves in a blender and process until smooth.
- Store in a sealed container up to 10 days in the refrigerator.
