Having a bartender for a boyfriend ensures a certain amount of mixing glasses, jiggers and champagne saucers taking up the bench space, cupboards and freezer.
It also ensures that I can never really have an alcohol free week without offending him “Try my new cocktail, what about this one?” Luckily he makes beautiful cocktails and fills them with fresh fruit and herbs so it’s actually quite delightful and not too naughty.
A few weeks ago on a Tuesday night I had another liquid concoction swirled in front of my face seductively. It was the most fantastic green and at first I was skeptical it might have nasty artificial flavours in it; I was surprised to hear it was basil and lemon that made it glow.
After the first sip I was hooked, turns out it’s the most refreshing cocktail I’ve ever had, it’s a Basil Smash and this is how the magic is made.
What you need:
Half a Lemon
20ml Sugar syrup (we make our own with raw organic sugar)
A small bunch of basil
60ml of Hendricks Gin (or any good gin)
Ice cubes
Shaker
Jigger
Strainer
Serving Glass
What to do:
Step one. Squeeze the lemon into the shaker, add basil leaves and muddle.
Step two. Add the remaining ingredients and ice. SHAKE well. If you have shaken it and your arm isn’t tired, it probably isn’t ready yet, you want to shake until the outside of the shaker is covered in condensation and your arm is ready to drop off.
Step three. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a whole basil leaf. If you don’t have a cocktail strainer a tea strainer works fine too, you don’t want any green leaves in your teeth though so strain it with something!
This cocktail is super refreshing and great for summer; you can add more basil, sugar syrup or lemon depending on your taste. If you’re not dating a mixologist and thus don’t have a home bar head out and order one of these stat, perfect for a Sunday session in the sun or pre dinner drink.
I prefer to make this at home, so I can add more basil and less sugar which helps my healthy conscience. I find the ones I order out look more like a mojito then emerald green I’m used to, I need a lot of basil. It’s super easy to make at home and is a far healthier option then most cocktails on offer, that’s my justification for guzzling these green beauties anyway. I feel especially good drinking this at home when I surround myself with other beautiful green things; bar-stools, plants and clothes, I am a greenie after all.
5 Comments
Basil errmmm
Looks delicious, will try it this weekend!
I gave up alcohol during my first pregnancy and I’ve never started again… Not deliberate, just the way it’s worked.
Looks so refreshing and yummy!
Unsure about this one but cannot knock it until I try it