Several years ago, Jerry took me to Vegas for my birthday and I had my first Sinatra Smash Cocktail. Even though it's fruity, it's all grown up!
Where can you Find a Sinatra Smash?
We went to the Sinatra restaurant at the Encore Hotel & Casino in Vegas where they serve it up. What a treat! With a base of bourbon (my favorite spirit, next to a a high quality sipping tequila is a close second… Maestro anyone?) it's a deep mellow beverage with a fruity fresh edge.
When you're making this tasty libation you muddle the blackberries in the cocktail shaker. You gotta admit Sinatra Smash is waaaay cooler than a Sinatra Muddle! Besides what a great nod to all of Blue Eyes smash hits.
Personally, I think this cocktail is best served all by itself before dinner. If you want to follow it up with the best steak of your life, then check out this quick and easy method for Filet Mignon just like Ruth Chris Steak House does it. You'll love it!
Served simply over ice is always best, but in a cocktail it lends it's own unique personality to the beverage. It's iconic. Frank himself was very much the same.
Set a pot with 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to boil. Cut vanilla bean in 1/2 long wise. Scrape the seeds from the bean and put it in the pot with the sugar water.
Gently simmer the sugar vanilla water until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.
Mix 1/2 cup lemon juice with 1/4 cup vanilla simple syrup. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. If you make extra, it will keep 3-4 days.
Muddle 6 blackberries and a mint leaf in the bottom a cocktail shaker with the sweet and sour mix. Reserve 2 of the blackberries.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the shaker, add ice and shake well. Strain over ice in 2 glasses.
Garnish with a blackberry and mint leaves.
*Vanilla bean - if you don't have a vanilla bean handy, substitute 2 teaspoons vanilla extract after the simple syrup has cooled. However, if you do have a vanilla bean, keep the outer husk and bury it in your sugar bag or canister for delicious vanilla sugar. Yum!
Make a larger batch of simple syrup and sweet and sour mix to have on hand. They both keep well for almost a week in the refrigerator!
Hope you plan to make these the next time I come to visit!
Definitely!!! Let's start off with these while we make the herb butter oven steaks, risotto, and braised asparagus! Yum! ????
This was so good! My boyfriend loved it as much as I did. Thanks for the great recipe!
Never met a cocktail I didn't like. Made this on a hot afternoon and it was great.
Thissounds delicious! I will try it athome.