Holy smokes, can you believe it's already July? That's just crazy! You know what else is crazy? This most delicious cocktail. I have a little secret... I'm not a big fan of gin. It always seems want the spotlight and it's piney flavor rubs me the wrong way. The thing is I bought a whole bottle of it so I now I'm stuck with it. And I mean, I can't just let a whole bottle of booze go to waste, that would just be sad.
I had an idea last week that I thought might just remedy this whole situation and that was to use basil and lemon in a cocktail. I flipped through my handy Essential Cocktail book and found something that I could base my daydream on. It called for mint but I just swapped it out for basil. It goes a little like this: basil and lemon muddled, add some gin and simple syrup and shake er up then top off with some club soda. Holy awesome!! I am not kidding you, this drink is so so delicious! The basil and gin pair really well together so the piney flavor is dampened a bit by the basil and taste oh-so-good. I kind of want to make another right now...
Cheers! Happy 4th of July! I hope you have a great weekend!
Southside Lady
based on the Southside in Essential Cocktails
2 basil leaves
3/4 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 oz gin
1 oz simple syrup
1 oz club soda
1
Gently muddle 1 basil leaf with the lemon juice in the bottom of a mixing glass.
2
Add the gin and simple syrup and shake well.
3
Pour over crushed ice (I used mini ice cubes) in a cute glass.
4
Top with a splash of soda and garnish with a basil leaf.
5
Enjoy!
happy hour: southside lady
Holy smokes, can you believe it's already July? That's just crazy! You know what else is crazy? This most delicious cocktail. I have a little secret... I'm not a big fan of gin. It always seems want the spotlight and it's piney flavor rubs me the wrong way. The thing is I bought a whole bottle of it so I now I'm stuck with it. And I mean, I can't just let a whole bottle of booze go to waste, that would just be sad.
I had an idea last week that I thought might just remedy this whole situation and that was to use basil and lemon in a cocktail. I flipped through my handy Essential Cocktail book and found something that I could base my daydream on. It called for mint but I just swapped it out for basil. It goes a little like this: basil and lemon muddled, add some gin and simple syrup and shake er up then top off with some club soda. Holy awesome!! I am not kidding you, this drink is so so delicious! The basil and gin pair really well together so the piney flavor is dampened a bit by the basil and taste oh-so-good. I kind of want to make another right now...
Cheers! Happy 4th of July! I hope you have a great weekend!
Southside Lady
based on the Southside in Essential Cocktails
2 basil leaves
3/4 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 oz gin
1 oz simple syrup
1 oz club soda
1
Gently muddle 1 basil leaf with the lemon juice in the bottom of a mixing glass.
2
Add the gin and simple syrup and shake well.
3
Pour over crushed ice (I used mini ice cubes) in a cute glass.
4
Top with a splash of soda and garnish with a basil leaf.
5
Enjoy!
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July 3rd, 2009 at 9:07 am
holy smokes, is right! a friend of ours came up with the signature cocktails for our wedding. one of them was some sort of lemony, prosecco concoction. it was delicious, but it definitely needed something to round it out. i suggested a basil simple syrup… i was so right. basil + lemon = heaven.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:43 am
Do you just keep a bottle of simple syrup handy? Does it need to stay in the fridge or can it be room temp?
I’m a gin fan (I’m from the pine tree filled part of TX what can I say) and this sounds delish.
July 3rd, 2009 at 1:06 pm
whitney-
yes i do keep a bottle of simple syrup in the fridge. i think you’re going to like it!
July 3rd, 2009 at 6:30 pm
man, i’ve got everything for this….and it’s been such a rough day that this cocktail is calling my name. loudly.
July 5th, 2009 at 9:18 am
That sounds like a perfect summer drink (now that it’s actually feeling summery)!
July 5th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Hey, Kelly! I’m going to try this next week-end. Laurie served us basil gimlets on the dock this week-end and the gin won over every other flavor-it’s so strong… This one may actually provide some “unpiney” balance!
July 6th, 2009 at 6:40 am
kristi-
i think you’re going to be happy with these. the basil really does temper the gin. tell everyone i said cheers!