Basil Lemonade
Basil in lemonade surprises people trying it for the first time: it gives not a grassy note but a sweet, peppery finish that lingers after the sip. The key is not to blend it. Chopped leaves release chlorophyll and bitterness; whole ones steeped in warm syrup release only aroma.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 6
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 85 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: about 1.5 l, 6 glasses
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Make the syrup
Bring the water and sugar to the boil and take it off as soon as the sugar dissolves. There is no reason to cook it further — this is not caramel.
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Step 2: Steep the basil
Drop whole sprigs into the hot syrup, stems included (they hold the most aroma), cover and leave 30 minutes until cool.
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Step 3: Lift the leaves out
Remove the basil and squeeze it lightly. Do not leave it longer: after an hour the syrup turns bitter and browns.
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Step 4: Mix the lemonade
Combine the syrup, lemon juice and a litre of cold water. Taste: more syrup if it is sharp, more juice if it is sweet.
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Step 5: Serve over ice
Pour into glasses with ice, lemon wheels and a fresh basil leaf — the spent leaf from the syrup is no good for serving.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Purple basil makes a pink lemonade, which looks striking but tastes sharper, almost of cloves. Green basil gives the classic flavour.
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Tip
Do not discard the stems: they hold more aroma than the leaves and work better than anything else in the syrup.
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Variation
Basil and strawberry: add 150 g of berries to the syrup with the basil and strain. Basil and cucumber makes a very fresh summer version.
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Storage
The syrup keeps two weeks in the fridge. Made-up lemonade lasts two days, but take the lemon slices out or the zest turns it bitter.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 6 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 85 kcal | 510 kcal |
| Protein | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fat | 0 g | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 22 g | 132 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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