Thai Basil Martinis

I grew a variety of basil plants this year, all of which thrived. But how much pesto do you really need.

The Thai basil inspired me to cook a few vegetarian Thai curries, but I still had an overabundance of basil. I decided to create a cocktail using it.

First, I made a simple syrup, with a fistful of basil, a cup of water and half a cup of sugar. I like to underplay the sweetness.

I cooked the syrup for about 10 minutes, strained it and refrigerated it.

The cocktail

I used a shot of simple syrup, about a tablespoon of fresh squeezed lime juice and 2 shots of vodka.

I shook this with ice, strained into a martini glass and garnished with a fresh Thai basil leaf. Delish.

Oh, the Gin

Even with a dinner party, we still had simple syrup left over. I tried the martini with Bombay Sapphire Gin and it was even better. The herbaceous gin complemented the Thai basil beautifully.

Kompai!