the little stone

I bought a cocktail shaker recently, and I’ve been making and creating a lot of mixed drinks. I’ve been able to make a variety of cocktails by purchasing only half pints and pints of different liquors. As for the cocktail shaker, I bought the 24 oz. 3-piece set sold by Cresimo on Amazon for $16.95. Definitely worth it!

Oddly enough, I came up with the recipe for this drink while I was in the shower because the scent of my body wash is ginger and white peach. I also had a raspberry mint lemonade and cherry gin smash earlier that weekend.

I didn’t have any peaches, but I had a few nectarines. I used one nectarine per serving. I also didn’t have any mint, but I did have some basil, so I used a few leaves of that instead. I’d be curious to try a lemon basil ginger smash next time!

This was such a refreshing drink. The gin wasn’t overpowering, but it definitely sneaks up on you. I’ve included the ingredients and directions below!

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. gin
• 1.5 oz. pineapple juice
• 2.5 oz ginger ale
• Crushed ice
• A few sliced basil leaves
• One nectarine

Directions:

1. Cut wide slices of the nectarine. I cut mine into fours. Then, use a reamer to squish out the inside of the fruit into a bowl. Try not to get any of the skin in there! Scrape off all the fruit from the reamer.

2. Add a few of the sliced basil leaves to the bowl. Then, using a reamer or muddler, muddle the nectarine and basil.

3. Add 2 oz. of gin, 1.5 oz. of pineapple juice, and the muddled nectarine and basil to the shaker. Do not add the ginger ale yet! The shaker will pop open if you shake it when there’s soda in there.

4. Crush some ice and then add it to the shaker.

5. Shake it up and pour it into a glass!

6. Then, stir in 2.5 oz of ginger ale.

Voilà!

If you don’t want to consume any of the nectarine pulp and basil, then it’s best to drink this through a straw.

I’m definitely going to make this one again while experimenting with more cocktail recipes. If you guys decide to make this, or some variation of it, drop a comment here or on Instagram (@thelittlestoneblog).

Cheers!

If I had the guts to do it
I’d take a long goodbye
Instead I’ll love her long and hard
And love her ’til I die
That woman’s got me drinking
Look at the state I’m in
Give me one, two, three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten bottles of gin