Strawberry Gin Smash

This strawberry smash cocktail is made with fresh strawberries, lemon juice, mint, honey and gin that is topped off with some ginger beer which makes it the perfect summer drink.

It's Memorial Day, which is a day where we honor the men and women who have died while serving in the U.S. military. Both of my Grandfather's were in the military, serving in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Luckily for our family, both made it through but I understand the sacrifices they and countless others have made throughout our history.

On a brighter subject, Memorial Day is also the "unofficial" kickoff to summer which means people are dusting off their grills and enjoying the outdoors with a fresh beverage. It also is right around the time you can start picking fresh strawberries here in Maryland. This weekend I was looking to see if any had open the fields yet to be picked and we were in luck. There was an orchard just around the corner from the winery we visit frequently that had just opened up their strawberry picking - Baugher's. Lauren and I ended up going and went a little overboard in the amount of strawberries we picked, about 20 lbs or so.

Needless to say I was looking for any excuses to make recipes with strawberries and being that today is a great drinking day, I thought why not try a strawberry cocktail. I'm pretty familiar with bourbon smashes, and while I had bourbon, I thought gin would go great with strawberries which is where this strawberry gin smash got its name. So if you have some fresh strawberries on hand, I'd give this strawberry cocktail a try. Hope you enjoy!

What Ingredients are in this Strawberry Cocktail Recipe?

• Produce - strawberries, lemon, mint
• Honey
• Gin
• Ginger beer (or club soda)

How to Make a Strawberry Gin Smash

1. Place the strawberries, lemon juice, honey and mint leaves in a cocktail shaker or glass. Use a muddler to gently muddle the mint leaves and strawberries. Add gin and stir to combine.
2. Fill the glass ⅔ of the way full with the strawberry mixture and ice. You can also strain the mixture if you don't want strawberry chunks but I like it.
3. Top with ginger beer and add some extra mint leaves and strawberries for garnish.

Can I Use Different Ingredients for this Strawberry Gin Smash?

The great thing about this recipe is you can mix and match the ingredients. Don't have mint, but have basil? That will work just fine. Or if you prefer bourbon to gin, you can substitute the same amount. Finally, club soda works just as well as ginger beer or even ginger ale. Use what you have!

Tips for a Tasty Strawberry Gin Smash

• If you don't have fresh strawberries, frozen strawberries will work fine.
• Do not over muddle the mint or you will turn the taste bitter.
• Do not overdo it with the mint. A little goes a long way. 10 leaves is enough for 2 drinks.
• Use honey instead of simple syrup. It may not be traditional but takes less work and adds additional flavor.
• Used crushed ice which will make the strawberry gin smash colder quicker.

Other Cocktail Recipes

• Baileys Chocolate Martini
• Spiked Apple Cider Cocktail
• Traditional Moscow Mule
• Mango Mojito
• Pear Bourbon Cocktail

If you’ve tried this Strawberry Gin Smash or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.