Cocktails with Basil syrup
Basil syrup is a flavored sugar syrup infused with fresh basil leaves.
How it's used
Basil syrup brings sugar with basil's peppery, anise-edged green. It suits sours, smashes and citrus drinks with gin, vodka or strawberry. Muddled leaves also work, as in a Gin Basil Smash, but bruised basil browns within minutes. Syrup gives the same basil every time. Blanching the leaves before steeping keeps a homemade batch green. Acid still turns it olive, so an acidic syrup dulls whatever you do.
Substitutes for Basil syrup
Bottled basil syrup
Brands like Monin or Giffard go in at the exact same measure.
Quick basil syrup
Shake a small handful of fresh leaves with the same amount of simple syrup and double-strain.
Homemade syrup
Steep 5–7 leaves in 200 g of sugar dissolved in 240 ml of boiling water. Strain after 30 minutes. It is less sweet, so pour a little extra.
It carries acid. If there is already lemon or lime juice in the glass, cut those back.
Basil liqueur
A last resort. It brings the herb and some alcohol but lacks deep sweetness. It only replaces the syrup in part.
