What do you do when you’ve got two ripe pineapples and pounds of peaches ripe on your counter? Start smashing up this Peach Pineapple Smash. It’s a delectable cocktail with pineapple-infused rhum, peach simple syrup and, of course, fresh peaches and pineapple to muddle into the cocktail.
While smashes generally use mint, my basil plant has been begging to play with the peaches lately. While I normally would use the peaches and basil together in a more savory pairing, for this, a sweet, faux-tiki cocktail is the name of the game.
I decided to split the base for this for two reasons. First, I already had pineapple-infused rhum Agricole taking up space in my fridge and it’s so refreshing in something that’s a sour. Secondly, I think the freshness of a younger rye – like the Old Forester rye here – pairs so well with the fresh and distillate flavors I get from the rhum.
Rhum blanc agricole, if you’ve never had it, tastes like an unaged distillate. It has the young, sweet, burning taste that a lot of young spirits do. However, since it’s rum, I don’t find the harsh aftertaste that I get with a bourbon or rye distillate. It’s quite smooth. I used a Clement rhum blanc agricole.
I had put some in a jar with cut pineapple a few weeks ago when I had too much pineapple to eat all at once. The infusion imparts this pineapple flavoring to it, but doesn’t make the rhum overly sweet. It balances out some of the rough edges of the rhum. I will add that rhum Agricole is much smoother than distillate from the still that I’ve tried at whiskey distilleries. I imagine that being a sugar product rather than a grain product makes a huge difference in the final taste off the still.
But back to our fruit flavors. I’ve got peach pairing with pineapple here and both are very sweet. Both also have some tartness or sour to them, but not enough to counter the sweetness so I added some lemon juice to balance the sweet.
Because it’s a smash, I’m adding fresh peach slices and fresh pineapple to my shaker for a good muddle before adding the fresh basil leaves, the spirits and some of my fresh peach simple syrup (see the recipe below).
Overall the cocktail is bright, refreshing, and reminds me of a summer tiki drink. There’s not enough rum in it to make it a true tiki drink, but I think it’s on the spectrum. But it’s very easy to sip and a lovely end of the week cocktail.
If you like pineapple cocktails you might also like Riding with the Top Down (Strawberry Pineapple Tiki), Toes in Sand(box) (Spiced Pineapple Summer Cocktail) or my Pineapple Sage Rum Julep. If you’re more a peach person, try My Peach of Mind (Peach Lavender Old Fashioned) or It Ain’t All Peaches and Sunshine (Peach Highball).
Pineapple Peach Smash
Ingredients
- 1 oz rye whiskey (I used Old Forester)
- ½ oz pineapple-infused rhum Agricole (I infused Clement Rhum Blanc Agricole) If you don't have rhum agricole I would substitute out for another unaged spirit – don't try aged or spiced rums.
- ½ oz Giffards peche du vinge
- ½ oz peach simple syrup**
- ¾ oz lemon juice
- ¼ oz St Elizabeth’s Allspice dram optional
- 5 basil leaves
- 3 slices of peach
- 3 chunks of pineapple
- Garnish: basil, peach wedges and pineapple
Instructions
- Combine simple syrup, peach wedges and pineapple in the bottom of a mixing tin and muddle until juices have been released. Add the basil and muddle again briefly. Add whiskey, rhum, peach liqueur and lemon juice. Fill with ice and shake until very cold. Strain (or not, it’s smash) into a rocks-filled old fashioned glass and garnish with basil, peaches and pineapple as desired.
Notes
- 2 cups peeled, chopped peaches
- 2 cups sugar
