Friday Cheer! Peach and Basil Vodka Collins

I've got a new cocktail recipe for you this Friday. It just screams summer. Okay, maybe it doesn't scream, but it does fizz from the seltzer water.  I promise the combination of peach and basil are sophisticated and perfectly summery. 

And as a bonus, you get to eat the vodka-soaked peach pieces after you've finished your drink. It's like polishing off the fruit in an empty pitcher of sangria.  Not that I've done that....  But it's awesome.

Peach and Basil Vodka Collins 

Printable Recipe
Adapted from a recipe from Women's Health magazine 

(get the original recipe, along with several other low-calorie cocktail recipes here )

Ingredients:

1 wedge of lemon (about 1/4 of a lemon)

1/2 a ripe peach, pitted, peeled and roughly chopped

1 oz. basil simple syrup (recipe below)

2 oz. vodka

Seltzer water or club soda to taste

The lineup. Buckeye vodka is locally
produced in Ohio.  That, combined with its clean,
smooth taste make it my personal favorite.

Preparation:

Put the peeled and chopped peach and the lemon wedge in the bottom of a tall glass. Muddle (with a muddler or wooden spoon) until peaches are moderately smushed and most of the juice has been extracted from the lemon. 

Add the basil simple syrup and vodka. Stir to combine.  

Then add seltzer water or club soda to taste. I added about 2-4 oz. Stir again, add ice, and enjoy!

To make basil simple syrup:

Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat.  Heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring often.  Once all the sugar is dissolved, turn off the heat and put a hearty handful of washed and roughly torn basil leaves into the pot.  Cover and let sit for 10-15 minutes.  Remove the basil leaves with a slotted spoon and discard.  Pour the syrup into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.

A helpful hint - basil simple syrup is also great with melon agua frescas!

Happy Friday!