Recipe

• 2oz gin
• .75oz lime juice
• .75oz simple syrup
• 5-6 basil leaves
• 2 slices cucumber

Gently muddle together the cucumber, basil, lime juice, and simple syrup (don’t over-pulverize the basil or it’ll add unpleasant bitterness!). Add the gin and ice and shake to combine. Strain into a glass over fresh ice and garnish with a sprig of basil. Optionally top with some sparkling water for a bit of fizz.

About

This may have been my first craft cocktail love. I’ve long had an obsession with basil (I would literally hoard it everytime it came on the shared veggies tray with pho) and gin was the first liquor I ever liked when I first started drinking. I remember seeing a basil gin drink on a cocktail menu for the first time and just knowing I had to try it. And that was that. It’s refreshing, fresh, and simply delicious. It’s like a garden limeade, a basil mojito, the perfect sipper for a hot sunny day, or any day for that matter. It’s simple to make at home, and even tastier in a mason jar.