Vodka Lemonade with Basil Syrup

Putting basil in a vodka lemonade made me a little wary, but after reading the recipe, I decided to give it the ‘ole college try! I’m so glad I did! I went light on the basil…and the flavor was plenty strong for me!

Let’s get started with the basil syrup.

You’ll need:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2-3 sprigs basil

Pour the sugar and water into a pot.

Throw in a couple of sprigs of basil, turn on the heat and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Simmer for a few minutes to really infuse the basil flavor.

Cool slightly and then stash in the fridge until completely cool.

Meanwhile, start squeezing some lemons! I didn’t have quite enough lemon juice, so I added water to get 1 1/2 cups. To boost the lemon flavor, I zested one of the lemons and added the zest the the juice to sit for awhile.

Now for the good stuff! You’ll need the basil syrup, 2 cups vodka, 1 1/2 cups lemon juice, a couple more sprigs of fresh basil.

Use a strainer when you pour the liquids into the pitcher. I don’t like to have “pulp” in my drinks!

Pour in the basil sugar syrup.

And the lemon juice.

Measure out 2 cups of vodka…

And add vodka to your shopping list!

Ooo, looking tasty!

Add the vodka.

Stir in the sprigs of basil.

And serve over ice, garnished with another small sprig of basil. This may seem like a lot of basil, but it’s really not. It’s a pretty mild flavor.

Make this drink while it’s still warm outside…and before your basil freezes!