The perfect summer cordial that can be made into a refreshing summer drink with fizzy water or turned into a fabulous cocktail.
Ingredients:
- 150ml water
- 150gms white sugar
- 1 handful of fresh Basil leaves, Jekka's choice is Red Rubin Basil. You can also make a Lemon Verbena cordial or Citrus Trilogy cordial using Jekka's Herbal Infusion found here.
Steps:
- Put the water and sugar into a small saucepan.
- Put the pan on a low heat and stir from time to time until the sugar is dissolved.
- Bring to simmering point to form a syrup.
- Remove the syrup from the heat, add the Basil leaves (or alternative) and stir well.
- Cover the saucepan and leave for at least 3 hours, check the syrup is to the flavour you like. I personally like a strong flavour, so I leave the Basil syrups to steep overnight.
- Strain the syrup, removing the leaves, into a sterilized bottle, label and store. The syrup will keep for 6 weeks in the fridge.
To use, simply dilute with soda or tonic water to taste or use as a base for a cocktail. Garnish with leaves of the herb you used. Enjoy!
If you love the sounds of this recipe and herb-based cooking check out our Master Classes and other herb-based recipes.