Cocktails
20130623-256965-kale-smash.jpg

[Photographs: Autumn Giles]

Muddled fresh basil, fresh pineapple juice, kale juice, and rye whiskey come together in this delicious sweet-tart, herbaceous green smash. I used Rittenhouse Rye, but feel free to use any good rye you have on hand.

Note: Your juice yield will vary depending on which juicer you use. We found that it takes about 3/4 pound of kale to produce 4 ounces of juice.

About the Author: Autumn Giles is a writer in Queens, NY. You can see her work on Autumn Makes & Does, listen to her talk on the Alphabet Soup Podcast, and talk at her on twitter.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

About This Recipe

Yield: makes 1 cocktail
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Special equipment: juicer

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup fresh pineapple, peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks
  • 8 basil leaves, divided
  • 1 1/2 ounces rye
  • 1/4 ounce fresh kale juice (see note above)
  • Garnish: basil sprig and pineapple slice

Procedures

  1. Muddle pineapple and 5 basil leaves in cocktail shaker until you've made a pulpy puree. Fill the cocktail shaker with ice, add rye and kale juice. Shake until well chilled, about 20 seconds.

  2. Place remaining 3 basil leaves in an old fashioned glass. Fill glass with ice, strain cocktail into glass, and garnish with basil sprig and pineapple slice. Serve immediately.