thelovingspoonful.net

Few things go better together than citrus and basil. This recipe for Basil Shandy – in my opinion – is a total winner all the way. Fragrant and refreshing, it can be used to entertain at even the prettiest of events.  Try muddling your basil into the juice instead of just stirring it (as the recipe instructs).  You can always strain the finished product.

I would garnish this drink with purple basil blossoms to dress it up. Don’t use full-on purple leaves for the lemonade, though; They will turn a wilted black before long, and may discolor everything that comes in contact.

B A S I L    S H A N D Y

Ingredients:
Basil Lemonade
Pale Lager
Fresh Basil Leaves

Instructions:
First, make your basil lemonade: In a pitcher, add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, and 1 large stalk of fresh basil. Stir every twenty minutes or so until sugar dissolves. (Be sure to stir the sugar that settles to the bottom of the pitcher) Allow to sit for at least an hour so that basil flavor is extracted.

Pour equal parts beer and basil lemonade into a beer mug.  Garnish with basil leaves.

*Cocktail courtesy of Gwen Sutherland Kaiser
*Photo courtesy of Mary Claire Miraldi