The Basil Vodka Gimlet is a supremely refreshing warm weather cocktail.

This Basil Vodka Gimlet takes a classic cocktail (usually made with gin) and turns it on its head. Basil vodka is flavorful and refreshing, and makes this drink perfect for summertime sipping.

Have you ever had a Gimlet?

Gimlets are a classic cocktail. They’re typically made with gin or vodka, sweetened lime juice (here’s a good one), and soda water.

Our friend Melissa turned us on to them (she prefers the vodka variety). She makes a kickass gimlet. Since we don’t get to see Melissa all that often anymore (alas, she and her husband live in Florida, we live in North Carolina), I had to take the gimlet-making into my own hands.

Though the original method is undeniably good (so refreshing!), I decided to make a very summery version. 

Basil + lime = <3

And really, what says “summer” more than fresh basil? Maybe some bright and fresh lime juice?

The flavors of basil and lime are really are so, so good together. I don’t think that basil and lime get to play together very often. Or not nearly as often as they should, in my opinion. Though I did just come across this basil and lime hummus recipe. Intriguing.  

Despite this, they really are great together in this recipe. Both are bright and fresh.

How does this cocktail come together?

Remember the Basil Infused Vodka that I shared with you not that long ago? This cocktail makes excellent use of it!

Simply combine some of that vodka, a bit of simple syrup (preferably homemade–it’s so easy!), and fresh lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake until very cold, and strain into a rocks glass with ice.

Make sure to garnish with some more fresh basil, too! Not only does it look pretty, but the extra basil aroma when you take a sip is really nice.

Spring and summertime basil is 10/10 in this drink

Make sure to take advantage of the abundance of fresh herbs during the warmer months by making one of these gimlets. These drinks will keep you satisfied (and a little tipsy) all summer long!

What equipment should I have on hand in order to make this drink?

• A jigger for measuring the vodka etc.
• A cocktail shaker
• Rocks glasses
• Paper straws are not mandatory, but they’re cute

Basil Vodka Gimlet

Yield: 1 cocktail

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

This Basil Vodka Gimlet takes a classic cocktail (usually made with gin) and turns it on its head. Basil vodka is flavorful and refreshing, and makes this drink perfect for summertime sipping.

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Ingredients

• 2 oz basil-infused vodka, see notes
• 1 oz simple syrup, see notes
• 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
• fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Instructions

1. Add the basil-infused vodka, simple syrup, and fresh lime juice to a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice.
2. Shake until very cold and strain into a rocks glass with ice.
3. Garnish with fresh basil.

Notes

Notes:

• The recipe for Basil-Infused Vodka can be found here
• The recipe for simple syrup can be found here

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Looking for other refreshing cocktails?

• Grapefruit Rosemary Gimlet
• The Palace Cafe Cocktail (uses rosemary infused vodka!)
• Grilled Mezcal Margaritas
• Strawberry Basil Vodka Collins (uses basil infused vodka!)

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The Kalimotxo Cocktail comes together simply enough, just combine red table wine + cane sugar cola + a squeeze of lime juice for a refreshing, super easy cocktail.

I was flipping through a couple of cookbooks earlier this month and came across this recipe again. It’s the Kalimotxo cocktail. The Internet tells me that the Kalimotxo is popular in the Basque region of Spain. So, there you go. There’s that.

AND! A Kalimotxo is composed of… wait for it… red wine and soda! I know that this combination may sound strange, but trust me!

I’m telling you, this drink is like sangria, but perfect for lazy people. Two ingredients (three if you count the lime juice) poured in a glass over ice and you’re done.

Because the ingredient list is so short, you really want to make sure that you’re using the correct ingredients. For the wine, you don’t need to use anything fancy. A cheap to moderately priced red table wine (I used a Rioja) will suffice. But for the soda, make sure you grab something that is made with cane sugar and not high fructose corn syrup. Have you ever had the Coke that’s made in Mexico (affectionately called MexiCoke)? It tastes SO much better than the stuff that’s made in the U.S. I’d go for that. It’s pretty widely available in regular grocery stores.

This recipe comes from the cookbook Over Easy: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Leisurely Days, by Joy Wilson (aka Joy the Baker).

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Kalimotxo Cocktail

Prep Time

5 mins

 

Course: Beverage, Cocktail

Cuisine: Basque

Servings: 1 cocktail

Ingredients

• 1 part red table wine, see notes
• 1 part cane sugar soda, see notes
• 2 lime wedges, for juice and garnish

Instructions

1. Over ice, fill a glass half full with wine. Top with soda and squeeze a lime wedge.

2. Garnish with another lime wedge if desired.

Recipe Notes

Notes: 

• I used an inexpensive Rioja
• I used MexiCoke

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This Palace Cafe Cocktail is fresh, herbaceous (thanks to rosemary infused vodka), and very refreshing.

I declare this my official summertime cocktail.

This recipe makes good use of the Rosemary Infused Vodka and Homemade Sour Mix that I shared with you over the past couple of weeks.

They’re fizzy, sweet, and perfumed with herby rosemary flavor. They are also slightly dangerous in that they go down very easily.

This cocktail is inspired by one that I enjoyed at The Palace Cafe in New Orleans. The food was delicious there, too.

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The Palace Cafe Cocktail

Course: Beverage, Cocktail, Drinks

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1 cocktail

Author: Lauren Pacek

Ingredients

• ice
• 1.5 oz rosemary infused vodka, see notes
• .75 oz Domaine de Canton  (a ginger liqueur)
• 1.5 oz sour mix, see notes
• ginger ale
• 1 sprig of rosemary, for garnish

Instructions

1. Add ice, vodka, Domaine de Canton, and sour mix to a cocktail shaker. Shake until very cold. 

2. Strain into a glass with ice. Top with ginger ale and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

Recipe Notes

Notes:

• The recipe for Rosemary Infused Vodka can be found here
• The recipe for Homemade Sour Mix can be found here

Homemade Sour Mix is so easy to make, and is so much better than the neon green store bought stuff.

I’m telling you, sour mix is so easy to make at home. It’s totally worth the little bit of effort that it takes to whip this up.

FYI – This post contains affiliate links.

Please don’t give in to temptation and buy a bottle of pre-made sour mix.

I know that it might be tempting to just buy a bottle of pre-made mix from the store. I get it. It’s right there, and it’s ready to go. But trust me. With how easy AND how much more delicious this is, you’d be a fool to buy some.

There are no weird preservatives and no overabundance of food coloring. Just 4 simple ingredients (one of them is water!). You really can’t beat it.

Making your own sour mix requires only a few ingredients and steps!

Just like it says above: this mix is super easy to make. This recipe involves very few, very easy steps. You’ll start out by making a simple syrup. We’ve done this before. It’s, well, simple.

Next, you’ll squeeze some (okay, a lot of) fresh citrus. Lemons and limes, to be exact. Stir the fresh squeezed juice into the cooled simple syrup and boom. You’re done. Stash it in the fridge and break it out whenever you feel like whipping up a cocktail.

I’ve found that the quantity of sour mix made with this recipe fits perfectly in a quart mason jar.

Want to know how to put this sour mix to good use?

Check out my recipe for The Palace Cafe Cocktail! It uses this mix AND the Rosemary Infused Vodka that I shared recently. It’s perfect for warm weather sipping!

The Black Eyed Susan (official drink of The Preakness Stakes!) is pretty fantastic, too.

You could also make a classic whiskey or amaretto sour!

Looking to up your home bar cred even further?

Impress the heck out of your guests with Homemade Luxardo Cherries! You know, the fancy ass cherries used as garnishes in Old Fashioneds? These are the ones.

Your friends will also be very pleased to imbibe some of this Rosemary Infused Vodka and/or Basil Infused Vodka, especially when mixed up into tasty cocktails!

5 from 2 votes

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Homemade Sour Mix

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

Course: Beverage, Drinks

Cuisine: American

Servings: 3 cups

Author: Lauren Pacek

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 3/4 cups lime juice, freshly squeezed

Instructions

1. The first thing you're going to do is make a simple syrup. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and water.  Stirring occasionally, heat the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved.  

2. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool completely. Once cooled, pour the simple syrup into the container in which you'll be storing the sour mix.

3. Add the lemon and lime juices to the simple syrup. Give everything a shake until well combined. Seal the container and store the sour mix in the fridge.

What gear will I need to make this sour mix?

• Quart Mason jars
• I really like this citrus squeezer. No lie, I use it all. the. time.

What’s your favorite cocktail?

Tell me in the comments! Bonus points if it uses this mix 😉 

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