Square One Organics Basil Vodka. This is a rye-based vodka infused with 4 different varieties of basil, with some additional herbs to round out the flavor. This was actually one of my very first “craft spirit” purchases years ago. As I’ve mentioned, I have a huge basil obsession, so when I first saw this, it was a no brainer. Tastewise, it’s pretty much neutral (as you would expect from vodka), with very STRONG refreshing basil flavors.

This is absolutely PERFECT in select cocktails adding a delicious fresh depth of flavor (especially when you don’t have fresh herbs on hand), though I’ll caveat that saying *select* is the keyword here. This isn’t the most versatile spirit in the world, so if you’re just starting to build your collection, I wouldn’t really recommend this as one of your first bottles unless you’re planning to stock up on garden fresh drinks.

As far as flavored vodka goes, I would say that Square One is definitely excelling in their trade, focusing on bringing REAL fresh and botanical flavors to vodka, something that’s rare in an industry unfortunately dominated by artificial flavor injection (of literally ANYTHING…) into harsh coarse vodkas. And hey, it’s on Oprah’s list of Favorite Things, so that says *something*, right? They also make a bunch of other amazing garden fresh flavors in their line (cucumber, botanical, and bergamot) so definitely check those out if you’re in the market for something like this!