Drink of the Week #8: Plantation

 I love basil and I am using it with everything right now...

salad dressing...pasta...cocktail? 

I have a beautiful basil plant that took off the past few months and is providing lovely large leaves.  I've known for a while that I was going to make one of my favorite cocktails with my favorite herb, and I finally did.

The base of the cocktail, which contributes to the flavor-bomb, are basil leaves muddled into submission with sugar and lime juice.  It basically turns into a sweetened pesto.  Combining a healthy dose of grapefruit juice with the basil accentuates the herbal flavor and mellows it out.  Of course you have to add the booze- gin and a small amount of orange liqueur.  

The Plantation is a fabulous summer sipper for front-porch swings and evenings by the pool.  

Drink of the Week #6: Minty French

I love all things French, their wine, their food, their architecture...

In honor of Bastille Day, July 14th, the beginning of the French Revolution, I wanted to create a French inspired cocktail.  I automatically went straight for the St. Germain, a french elderflower liqueur.  St. Germain is used in many drinks, and becoming more prevalent in cocktail bars, to add a touch of sweetness.  

A simple cocktail, with minimal ingredients, sounded perfectly French to me. A bit of fresh mint from the garden, muddled with the St. Germain, and shaken with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and vodka?  Yeah, that sounds Frenchy.  

The tang of the grapefruit was cut by the sweetness of the St Germain, while the mint gave a note of freshness.  I topped the cocktail with a splash of soda water to give it some nice effervescence and create an even more refreshing cocktail.  I think the French would be proud of this one.