BASIL GIMLET
Incorporating various aromatic herbs into classic cocktails is certainly not a new trend in mixology. That being said, summer presents one of the best opportunities for the home cook to try their hand at a seemingly exotic cocktail like the Basil Gimlet. With an abundance of fresh basil during these warm summer months, I am constantly looking for a way to use up those few leftover leaves lying around from recipes like Basil Chile Chicken and the ubiquitous Caprese Salad. This cocktail is so easy to pull off, and the end product definitely results in a drink that seems to be more than the sum of its parts. Bright, floral and refreshing are all adjectives I would use to describe the taste of what has to be one of the best libations for sultry Summer evenings and backyard cookouts.
Basil Gimlet
Adapted from Rye in San Francisco
When mixing this cocktail at home, its important to have a few good tools of the cocktail trade: a muddler, shaker, and fine mesh strainer. When muddling the cocktail, make sure not to break down the leaves of basil too much as you are only looking to bruise them and release their oil, not make a paste. Also, whenever shaking cocktails, it’s important to keep your glasses, alcohol, and shaker as cold as possible to prevent excess dilution. Finally, when pouring your drink, strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve to catch any stray bits of basil for a more elegant presentation.
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
1. Place 4 of the basil leaves into a mixing glass and squeeze the lime in on top.
2. Press down on the leaves of basil with a muddler or the back of a wooden spoon until the leaves are bruised but not broken apart. About four or five twists with muddler should be fine.
3. Fill the mixing glass three quarters of the way up with ice and add in the simple syrup and vodka or gin.
4. Give the glass a good shake and strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a chilled martini glass.
5. Garnish the drink with the remaining basil leave.
makes one drink
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