Celebrate spring with this simple Rhubarb Nectarine Smash cocktail! Made with in-season ingredients, it tastes like a sip of pure spring! Earthy and slightly bitter rhubarb pairs beautifully with sweet nectarines, with juniper gin, fresh lemon, and simple syrup.
This cocktail has been almost a year in the making! I started infusing a jar of gin with fresh rhubarb back in June of 2024, and finally opened it a few days ago! I was a little nervous about how it would turn out, but it came out AMAZING. It smelled slightly fruity, but with a floral quality that was so unique and beautiful. I wish I could find a perfume that smells like this rhubarb gin – it was absolutely divine.
However, I realize that waiting a year to make this recipe is probably unreasonable to ask of my readers 😅 So I have some options in my recipe for those who don’t want to infuse their own gin, and make the cocktail immediately. That being said, I DO recommend infusing your own alcohol because it is so much fun!! You can add any combination of fruits you like, with any type of hard alcohol you like. This summer I’m hoping to make strawberry infused gin with local Connecticut strawberries, and maybe a stone fruit vodka. The possibilities are endless! Be sure to follow along on Instagram and TikTok to see more seasonal recipe inspiration :)
For more delicious stone fruit recipes, try my Vegan Peach Protein Smoothie, or my Peach Salsa recipe!
Rhubarb Nectarine Smash
Ingredients
- 4 oz Rhubarb Gin see notes
- 1 oz Simple Syrup
- 1 Nectarine
- 1 oz Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- To begin, prep all of your ingredients. If you don't have simple syrup already, make it by adding 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup granulated sugar to a small saucepot, and bringing to a simmer. Once the liquid is simmering, reduce heat and stir frequently until the sugar is totally dissolved. When done, set aside to cool. (This will make more syrup than you will need for the cocktail – save the rest for more cocktails in the future!)
- Wash and dry your nectarine. First, cut off 2-4 slices of the fruit for garnish later on, and set aside.
- Then, chop the remaining nectarine into rough pieces that are small enough to fit in your cocktail shaker. Add the pieces to the shaker with the lemon juice. Using a muddler or a heavy spoon, smash the nectarine until it takes on the texture of applesauce.
- Then, add in the rhubarb gin and simple syrup, plus 3-4 large ice cubes. Shake vigorously for at least 30-45 seconds.
- Take two cocktail glasses of your choosing and fill them to the top with ice. Pour the mixture into the glasses, evenly distributing the drink between the two.
- Garnish with your reserved nectarine slices, and enjoy!
Notes
- For this recipe, I used a homemade rhubarb gin that I had infused for 10 months. If you would like to make this cocktail with homemade rhubarb gin, I would recommend infusing for at LEAST one month to get some depth of flavor. To infuse, simply add washed + dried rhubarb to a clean mason jar, then pour over your gin of choice until the rhubarb is totally covered. Cover the mason jar with a lid, and set aside in a cool place to infuse, out of direct sunlight.
- If you don’t feel like waiting that long to make this cocktail, you can use regular gin and instead make a rhubarb-infused simple syrup. In the instruction above where I detail how to make simple syrup, follow those same steps, except add about 3/4 of a cup of chopped fresh rhubarb to the sugar and water mixture. Bring it all to a boil, then simmer on low for 10 minutes to let the rhubarb infuse. When done, cover the pot and and let it stand for 20-30 minutes, to get even more flavor. Then, strain out the rhubarb and use the infused simple syrup in this recipe.
- If you don’t feel like making the rhubarb simple syrup either, you can buy Ha’Penny Rhubarb Gin at many liquor stores, or Edinburgh Rhubarb & Ginger Liqueur (which isn’t pure rhubarb, but would still be good with the nectarine).
- I highly recommend using a cocktail jigger to measure the ingredients. However, if you don’t have one, here are the liquid conversions:
-
- 1 oz = approx. 2 tablespoons
- 1 1/2 oz = approx. 3 tablespoons
- 2 oz = 1/4 cup
- 3 oz = approx. 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon
- 4 oz = approx. 1/2 cup
Nutrition
Rhubarb Nectarine Smash FAQs
What are the Rhubarb Smash Cocktail ingredients?
A smash is a cocktail characterized by smashing ingredients (usually fruit) into a pulp, then shaking that with the rest of the cocktail. For this recipe, you only need four ingredients – rhubarb gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and nectarines!
How can you make your own rhubarb gin?
To make your own rhubarb gin, you’ll need to let your gin of choice infuse with rhubarb for a month at the very least. I infused my rhubarb gin for 10 months, which really like the rhubarb flavor incorporate into the gin. The longer you infuse, the more pronounced the fruit flavor will be! This goes for any alcohol infusion.
Can you buy rhubarb gin?
Yes! Ha’Penny makes a delicious rhubarb gin worth trying, and Edinburgh Gin Distillery makes a ginger & rhubarb liqueur that would also be delicious here.
P.S.
For more plant-forward recipes and New England lifestyle inspiration, be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok! If you make a recipe, please tag me in the photo and use the hashtag #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your creations!
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