Basil
Basil is an aromatic, slightly peppery herb whose fragrant oils are released when leaves are gently muddled or slapped before use. Sweet basil is the most common cocktail variety, offering a fresher, more savory profile than mint. It adds a distinctly herbaceous, garden-fresh note to shaken and muddled drinks.
Common uses
- muddled for aroma in gin or vodka cocktails
- used as a fragrant garnish
Buying & storage
A few days: More fragile than mint, and it blackens where it is bruised.
Buying: choose bunches with bright, unbruised leaves and a strong aroma when lightly rubbed
Storage: keep stems in water like flowers, loosely covered, at room temperature or refrigerated
Before it goes
Use up basil
Ranked by how much of it each drink uses and how little else it needs — the ones at the top will not send you back to the shop.
- Gin Basil Smash
Also needs gin, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup.
Recipes
Cocktails containing this ingredient
Swap it
Possible substitutions
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