This variation on the traditional mint julep substitutes silver tequila for bourbon. The additional of basil syrup adds yet another level of herb flavor. [Read more...]
Agave Julep Cocktail
Red Bell Martini
Red Peppers aren’t just for the veggie tray at your summer soiree. While no one is looking, sneak a few slices away and prepare this smooth cocktail for yourself. [Read more...]
Lime Basil Gimlet
The Gimlet is a classic cocktail that can be made with either gin or vodka and Lime Cordial. For this version of the Gimlet we’ve added aromatic basil leaves and went for fresh lime juice and the crisp, smooth taste of Hendrick’s Gin. [Read more...]
Halloween Cocktails, #1 Boo-berry Vodka Martini
Halloween is still 13 days away according to our dicey math skills. We thought we’d get an obvious spooky cocktail out of the way first. We present the Boo-berry Vodka Martini. We brought home a bottle of the highly aromatic Smirnoff Blueberry flavoured vodka, combined it with a bit of triple sec and some sprite, and garnished it with a few fresh blueberries and a single black spider.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Smirnoff Blueberry Vodka
- 1 oz triple sec
- 1 oz sweet & sour syrup
- 2 ripped up basil leaves
- 8-10 fresh blueberries
Preparation
Wet the rim of a chilled cocktail glass with lemon juice. Turn the glass in a shallow plate of sugar to cover the rim. Muddle the blueberries and ripped up basil leaves in a cocktail shaker until they are shredded. Take a deep whiff of the beautiful mix of smells. Add the sweet & sour syrup, triple sec, blueberry flavoured vodka, and 4 ice cubes. Shake, then strain into the chilled cocktail glass.
A Smashing Blackberry-Prosecco Cocktail – The Dark & Gloomy
The name ‘The Dark & Gloomy’ is an inside joke between Madtini and a very good friend of ours who celebrated her birthday last weekend. Her favorite color is black and one of her favorite drinks is the Prosecco of her home country of Italy. We combined the dark delicious fruity flavor of blackberries, basil leaves, and the bubbles of Prosecco to create a delicious cocktail.
And, just in case you don’t know, Prosecco is a sparkling Italian wine created from the Glera grape which has been up until last year known as the Prosecco. This variety of grape was named after the place it had originated, the northern Italian city of Prosecco. The most popular Prosecco cocktail is the Bellini, a mix of Prosecco and Peach purrée which originated in Venice in the 1930s and 40s.
Now that the history lesson is over, we’re going to ignore its more popular use and create a cocktail using blackberries, gin, sweet & sour syrup and top it off with some bubbly Prosecco. Pssst… we made one with strawberries and another with blueberries too, but those will have to wait until another day.
Ingredients:
- 6 fresh blackberries
- 3 large shredded basil leaves
- 1 oz Hendrick’s Gin
- 1 oz Sweet & Sour Syrup
- 2-3 oz Prosecco
Preparation:
Muddle the blackberries and shredded basil leaves in the bottom of a rocks glass, add Gin & sweet and sour syrup and stir. Fill 3/4 of the glass with crushed ice, and top off with the Prosecco.
Gin Basil Smash
Ingredients
- 2 oz gin
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- 1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
- basil leaves
Preparation
Muddle basil and simple syrup together in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, the gin and lemon juice and shake well. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a fresh basil sprig and a slice of lemon peel.
Cucumber Basil Gin Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber
- 3 shredded fresh basil leaves
- 1 1/2 oz of gin
- 1/4 oz of fresh lime juice
- 1/4 oz of agave nectar
Preparation
Slice 3 slices of cucumber. Muddle the cucumber slices, basil, lime juice and agave nectar in the cocktail shaker. Add ice, gin and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a long slice of cucumber and a basil leave.
Blueberry Basil Gin Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup of blueberries
- 3 shredded fresh basil leaves
- 1 1/2 oz of gin
- 1/4 oz of fresh lime juice
- 1/4 oz of simple syrup
- twist of lime
Preparation
Muddle the blueberries, basil, lime juice and simple syrup in the cocktail shaker. Add ice, gin and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Drop in a dozen blueberries and garnish with a twist of lime and a basil leaf.
Kiwi Basil Gin Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 kiwi fruit
- 3 shredded fresh basil leaves
- 1 1/2 oz of gin
- 1/4 oz of fresh lime juice
- 1/4 oz of simple syrup
Preparation
Muddle the kiwi, basil, lime juice and simple syrup in the cocktail shaker. Add ice, gin and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a slice of kiwi and a basil leave.
