This strawberry Rhubarb Gin Smash is the perfect cocktail to serve at your next gathering this spring. We used our juicy strawberries from our strawberry patch along with our homegrown rhubarb to make this delicious strawberry rhubarb smash.
Why You Will LOVE This Recipe
- This smash cocktail beautifully showcases seasonal ingredients like strawberries and rhubarb, offering a refreshing and vibrant taste that’s perfect for spring and early summer gatherings.
- This cocktail recipe is versatile enough to be served at many different types of occasions, from casual get-togethers to more formal gatherings. Its pretty appearance and refreshing taste make it perfect for brunches, garden parties, or as a nice pre-dinner drink.
- The strawberries add a lovely sweetness that mixes really well with the tart taste of the rhubarb. This mix of sweet and sour is just right, and you can make it sweeter if you like by adding more simple syrup.
- Using fresh, in-season rhubarb and strawberries makes the drink taste better and more flavorful than using ingredients that aren’t in season or are processed.
Tips
- Don’t discard the rhubarb pulp! It can be repurposed in delicious recipes like jams or crumbles.
- Be gentle when muddling the strawberries and mint. The goal is to bruise the mint leaves to release their oils and to break down the strawberries to release their juice and flavor, not to pulverize them into a mush.
- Use large ice cubes if possible, as they melt slower than smaller ones, preventing your cocktail from becoming watered down too quickly.
- While Hendrick’s Gin is recommended for its unique floral and cucumber notes, feel free to experiment with other gins to see how they complement the flavors of strawberry and rhubarb.
- If you’re serving this at a gathering, consider making the rhubarb simple syrup in larger quantities and muddling strawberries and mint in a larger bowl before dividing it into individual glasses. This will save you time and ensure each drink is consistent.
Ingredients
Rhubarb Simple Syrup Ingredients
- Rhubarb stalks, cubed
- Water
- Granulated sugar
Cocktail Ingredients
- Fresh strawberries
- Fresh mint sprigs
- Hendrick’s Gin, 1 oz per serving
- Soda water (or club soda)
- Ice
- Optional garnishes: rhubarb ribbon, strawberry slice, or a mint sprig
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Gin Smash
Rhubarb Simple Syrup
Preparation: Start by preparing the rhubarb simple syrup. Use a small saucepan for this part of the process.
Simmer: Combine an equal amount of water and white sugar in the saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves completely.
Add Rhubarb: While waiting for the sugar water to reach a simmer, prepare your rhubarb by cutting it into small pieces (1cm cubes). You’ll need about 2 cups of these cubed rhubarb stalks.
Cook: Once the sugar water is simmering, add the cubed rhubarb to the saucepan. Allow the mixture to simmer for 30-40 minutes. During this time, stir occasionally and watch for any excessive water evaporation.
Strain :After the mixture has thickened and the rhubarb cubes are very soft, remove the saucepan from heat. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing the rhubarb pulp to extract as much syrup as possible.
Cool: Allow the rhubarb syrup to cool to at least room temperature before using it in your strawberry gin cocktail.
Cocktail Assembly
Muddle: In a sturdy stone bowl, or at the bottom of a cocktail shaker, muddle together small-diced fresh strawberries and mint sprigs. Crush them until the strawberries are well mashed and the mint oils have been released, creating a fragrant mixture.
Layer: Place the strawberry-mint blend at the bottom of your cocktail glass. Gently add ice over the muddled fruits and mint to fill the glass.
Mix: Pour 1 oz of Hendrick’s Gin over the ice. Slowly add soda water, leaving enough room at the top of the glass for the rhubarb simple syrup.
Sweeten: Drizzle the cooled rhubarb simple syrup over the soda, adjusting the quantity to suit your taste. More syrup will yield a sweeter cocktail, while less will keep it more refreshing and mild.
Garnish: Give your drink a gentle stir to combine the flavors. Embellish your cocktail with a choice of garnishes; a thin ribbon of rhubarb, a slice of strawberry, or a sprig of mint will enhance both the look and taste.
Serve: Enjoy your freshly prepared Strawberry Rhubarb Gin Smash!
More Strawberry Recipes
- How to Dehydrate Strawberries
- Storing Strawberries in Mason Jars
- Easy Homemade Strawberry Fruit Roll Ups (Fruit Leather)
- Canning Homemade Strawberry Jam
Strawberry Rhubarb Gin Smash
Equipment
- Small Saucepan To make the rhubarb simple syrup by cooking the rhubarb with sugar and water
- Fine-Mesh Strainer To strain the cooked rhubarb mixture and separate the syrup from the pulp.
- Knife and Cutting Board For chopping the rhubarb and dicing the strawberries into small pieces.
- Measuring Cups and Spoons To accurately measure the ingredients, especially for the simple syrup and the gin.
- Muddler To muddle the strawberries and mint together, extracting their flavors.
- Mixing Bowl Preferably a stone or glass bowl for muddling the strawberries and mint.
- Stirring Spoon To mix the ingredients together in the glass.
- Serving Glass A sturdy glass suitable for serving cocktails, like a highball or rocks glass.
- Ice Cube Tray For making ice to chill the cocktail.
Ingredients
Rhubarb Simple Syrup Ingredients
- 2 cups Rhubarb stalks, cubed
- 1 cup Water
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
Cocktail Ingredients
- Fresh strawberries
- Fresh mint sprigs
- Hendrick’s Gin oz per serving
- Soda water (or club soda)
- Ice
- Optional garnishes: rhubarb ribbon, strawberry slice, or a mint sprig
Instructions
Rhubarb Simple Syrup
- Preparation: Start by preparing the rhubarb simple syrup. Use a small saucepan for this part of the process.
- Simmer: Combine an equal amount of water and white sugar in the saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Add Rhubarb: While waiting for the sugar water to reach a simmer, prepare your rhubarb by cutting it into small pieces (1cm cubes). You’ll need about 2 cups of these cubed rhubarb stalks.
- Cook: Once the sugar water is simmering, add the cubed rhubarb to the saucepan. Allow the mixture to simmer for 20-30 minutes. During this time, stir occasionally and watch for any excessive water evaporation.
- Strain :After the mixture has thickened and the rhubarb cubes are very soft, remove the saucepan from heat. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing the rhubarb pulp to extract as much syrup as possible.
- Cool: Allow the rhubarb syrup to cool to at least room temperature before using it in your strawberry gin cocktail.
Cocktail Assembly
- Muddle: In a sturdy stone bowl, or at the bottom of a cocktail shaker, muddle together small-diced fresh strawberries and mint sprigs. Crush them until the strawberries are well mashed and the mint oils have been released, creating a fragrant mixture.
- Layer: Place the strawberry-mint blend at the bottom of your cocktail glass. Gently add ice over the muddled fruits and mint to fill the glass.
- Mix: Pour 1 oz of Hendrick’s Gin over the ice. Slowly add soda water, leaving enough room at the top of the glass for the rhubarb simple syrup.
- Sweeten: Drizzle the cooled rhubarb simple syrup over the soda, adjusting the quantity to suit your taste. More syrup will yield a sweeter cocktail, while less will keep it more refreshing and mild.
- Garnish: Give your drink a gentle stir to combine the flavors. Embellish your cocktail with a choice of garnishes; a thin ribbon of rhubarb, a slice of strawberry, or a sprig of mint will enhance both the look and taste.
- Serve: Enjoy your freshly prepared Strawberry Rhubarb Gin Smash!