Summer Cocktails

We've been crazy for cocktails recently. The sidecar is always a favorite, but recent forays have included an expertly made Manhattan (at The Montauk Club, thanks Antonio!) and Brian's sazerac at Keen's Steakhouse. (Kevin is also a big fan of a rusty nail, but not in summer.)

We polled some loyal readers and your favorite summer cocktail is the mojito. We couldn't agree more, but we like to put our spin on the classic, muddling basil instead of mint — which allows us to make use of the herbs we planted in our  this spring. 

Basil and mint are cousins, supposedly, and the resulting drink takes on a slightly savory and borderline bracing quality. "The alchemy of fresh lime and fresh basil is unmatched by modern science," says Brian. Adds Kevin: "It's tasty!"

    BASIL MOJITO — adapted from The Little Black Book of Cocktails

    1 1/2 oz light rum (a/k/a one shot) — we use Bacardi

    1/4 teaspoon of regular sugar

    Juice of 1 lime — there is no substitute for fresh lime juice

    Soda water

    Basil leaves — we use 4-5 large leaves or more smaller leaves

Muddle the basil and the sugar in a glass — we use a double old fashioned glass but the highball glass is more traditional. Add ice — fill it up! — rum, and lime juice.  Fill the glass with soda water and garnish with lime. 

Comments

[Wendy]

That looks yummy! I should try that without the rum.