My husband likes beer. I like a cocktail. A shandy is the perfect marriage! My husband is actually the one who introduced me to a Shandy. A traditional Shandy is made by mixing beer with juice, usually beer and lemonade. Well, a month or so ago I attended SoFabU On the Road at The Gaylord Texan and the bartenders there treated us to a Ruby Red Grapefruit Shandy. Now...I LOVED it, but they did not supply a recipe...so I set out to replicate the beverage myself. (psst, remember they Basil Simple Syrup I shared the other day...this is one of the beverages you need it for!)
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I am not a super adventurous foodie-type person, but I do like to try some (slightly) unusual concoctions. Often they are related to beverages and baking. I use my recipe for Vanilla Simple Syrup all the time. Recently I was at an event and the bartender had created a beverage using a Basil Simple Syrup. I was hooked! I will share my cocktail recipe in the next day or two...but I do realize you might be wondering "what else can I use Basil Simple Syrup for?" Well, let me tell ya...use it to flavor lemonade, iced tea, and other fruity delights. (I have more ideas coming!)
Ingredients
(easily doubled for more sweet basil goodness!)
- 1 Cup Water
- 1 Cups Granulated Sugar
- About 8-10 good sized leaves of basil. I bought a package of organic basil at the grocery store, and for boiling, added the leaves still on the larger stem.
- You will also need a strainer
Make it...
- Place the
water, sugar, vanilla, and basil in a medium
sauce pan and slowly bring the mixture to a boil until the sugar is
dissolved.
- All in all, I simmered my syrup for about 40+ minutes on low. I really wanted to get that amazing basil flavor. If you are unsure of the taste, sample a bit as you cook, until the syrup is to your liking.
- Let cool. Strainer the mixture to remove any pieces of basil that might be in there. You want the syrup to be "smooth."
- Transfer the mixture and the bean to am airtight container (I use a mason jar for storage).
- Store in the refrigerator. I cannot quite give you a time frame for how long it will keep because we use it up quickly...a month or two is my guess!
Have you made your own syrups? Whats you favorite flavor?
This post is written and created at 504 Main by Holly Lefevre
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