If you couldn’t tell, I’ve been on a strawberry kick lately and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. From the frozen strawberry margaritas recipe from April to my last post containing the most beautiful (and delicious) strawberry buttermilk sheet cake, I have yet to grow tired of the popular berry. Although my last cocktail recipe also highlighted strawberries, I just had to do another strawberry cocktail purely for the reason that I tried today’s recipe while I was in Vermont last weekend. The cocktail is a strawberry basil mojito and it’s by far my favorite way to enjoy a summery drink at the moment.
If you’re wondering why I was in Vermont last weekend, it’s because I went to visit my aunt, Katia. Katia very recently moved to the state to stay with one of her oldest friends, and once we realized that she was only a short drive away (about three hours), we planned a weekend getaway as soon as we could. Vermont isn’t Katia’s permanent home since her ultimate plan is to get to our family in the Czech Republic, but because European borders are closed to Americans indefinitely due to Covid-19, she’ll be calling Vermont home for the foreseeable future. The town she’s staying in is North Pomfret, near Woodstock, and it is honestly one of the most beautiful places that I’ve visited in the US, and I feel like this statement has some clout considering I just road tripped across the entire country. The gorgeous house she is staying in is a converted farmhouse complete with a towering silo and cow feeding stalls located in the basement. The house sits on acres of farmland surrounded by rolling hills and dense woods, and is just as picturesque as it can get. Needless to say, the trip was very memorable and we had the best time hanging out with my aunt and her friend. The picture below is of her garden, just to give you a taste of the beauty of her property.
One of the days we were visiting, Alex and I took a trip into Woodstock and decided to get cocktails while sitting in the patio at the very cool restaurant, Dr. Coburn’s Tonic. While Alex settled for a Mai Tai, the Strawberry Basil Mojito caught my eye because I had never thought to use basil in place of mint in a mojito before. Obviously, the drink was perfect and refreshing enough to make me forget about the heat and humidity we were experiencing that day. After finishing my drink in record time, I told Alex that I needed to share the recipe for it on my blog. Fortunately for me, I was able to produce a recipe that tasted exactly what I had at Coburn’s.
Unlike my previous mojito recipe (a watermelon version that is also extremely delicious!) where I used granulated sugar in the drink, I decided to make a simple syrup but kick it up a notch by infusing it with fresh basil. The simple syrup takes no skill whatsoever (hence the name) and the addition of basil really accentuates the bright, herby flavor. To further the basil flavor, you’ll also muddle some basil leaves along with chopped strawberries - so there’s definitely no shortage of fresh and vibrant flavors. After the muddling, it’s just a matter of measuring out the rum and lime juice, adding some ice and topping off the cocktail with a good pour of soda water. I personally think it’s easier to make one mojito at a time, especially since the traditional method calls for you to make the drink in the actual glass in which you’ll be drinking from; but if needed, you can of course do a bigger batch. In this case, I would recommend doing the muddling in a large mason jar and then evenly divide between the glasses, and then add the rum, lime juice and soda water. But do whatever you think is best!
Strawberry Basil Mojitos
Yields 1 cocktail
Ingredients
3 fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
4-5 basil leaves
1 oz. basil simple syrup, recipe below
2 oz. silver rum
1 oz. fresh lime juice
2-3 oz. soda water (depends on the size of your glass)
Directions
In the bottom of your desired drinking glass, preferably a highball, muddle the strawberries, basil leaves and simple syrup together. You don’t need to completely muddle every strawberry - a couple can be left more chunky.
Pour in the rum and lime juice, then add ice and top off the drink with soda water. Depending on how watered down you want your cocktail and/or the size of your glass, the amount of soda water will vary.
Garnish with a strawberry and drink immediately. Enjoy!
Basil Simple Syrup
Yields 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
1 cup basil leaves
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
Directions
Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once it hits a boil, turn the heat down and allow the mixture to simmer for a couple of minutes.
Remove the pan from the stove and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, so the basil flavor can properly steep into the syrup.
Pour the syrup through a strainer and discard the basil. Transfer to an airtight container like a mason jar or a bottle with a swing top and store in the fridge for up to a week.