This Blueberry BAEsil Collins is a fresh update on the classic cocktail! Blueberry syrup and lemon juice is muddled with fresh basil and shaken with gin in this refreshing drink.
Hello, Summer
Nothing says summer more than bright, fresh, fruit flavors. This modern twist on the classic Tom Collins includes juicy blueberry syrup which adds a thirst quenching element to this already delicious cocktail.
How To Make Simple Syrup
I love having a flavored simple syrup on hand throughout the summer to make a delicious and interesting cocktail in seconds. Take a gin and tonic from basic to baller, or a vodka soda from simple to slamming. By adding fresh flavors like fruit, herbs, or even vegetables to an already easy recipe like simple syrup, you can make an impressive beverage in no time.
Ingredients for Simple Syrup
All simple syrup is is equal parts water to sugar! See? Simple!
Fill a saucepan with water – let’s use 1 cup as an example – followed by the equal amount of sugar. So: 1 cup of water + 1 cup of sugar. Allow the syrup to come to a slow simmer. You’ll start to notice the sugar dissolving, which is exactly what you want to see. You can slowly and carefully swirl the mixture in the pan, but be careful to not spill it: simple syrup gets extremely hot, with liquifying that sugar and all. Take extra caution to ensure you don’t spill any.
Infusing Simple Syrup
As I mentioned, infusing simple syrup with other ingredients couldn’t be easier (or more delicious!). Once you’ve removed your simple syrup from the heat (after you’ve dissolved the sugar in the water), you simply add whatever prepared fruit, herbs, or even vegetables you prepared, allowing them to steep to enhance the flavor!
A few of my favorite flavors for making simple syrup:
- Fresh Mint (used in my Mint Julep!)
- Fresh Ginger (used in my Ginger Lemonade!)
- Rhubarb and Honey in place of the sugar (used in my Spiked Rhubarb Soda!)
- Any fresh berry: strawberry, blackberry, raspberry
- Any stone fruit: peaches, cherries, plums
- Cucumber
- Fennel
As you can see…the sky’s the limit! Choose your favorite flavors and make up your own!
Enjoy With BAE
No, that’s not a typo: the BAEsil is intentional. I originally made this scrumptious summer sipper for Club Date Night, which my friends over at Maven Styling hosted last month. For weeks, they hosted a date night for you and your sweetie so you didn’t have to stop “dating each other” in quarantine. How cute! Every week subscribers were sent cocktail recipes, a playlist, and a fun game or activity to do together. They also offered discounts to local restaurants and dessert spots to round out date night in.
While they’ve stopped hosting these weekly date nights, that’s no reason to not plan a little date night in yourself:
- Make this cocktail for your sweetheart
- Look up a fun card game, make a summer bucket list, play your favorite records…you choose the fun!
- Make a scrumptious supper for just you two. A few date night worthy recipes include Linguine with Morels, Zucchini, Summer Corn, & Goat Cheese, Caprese Pasta with Italian Chicken Meatballs, Cornmeal Crusted Scallops with Mint Chimichurri , or Engagement Roast Chicken.
Blueberry BAEsil Collins
Ingredients
For the cocktail:
- 4 basil leaves plus 1 small leaf for garnish
- ¾ oz. Blueberry simple syrup recipe below
- ¾ oz lemon juice
- 1 ½ oz gin
For the Blueberry Simple Syrup:
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup blueberries washed
Instructions
For the cocktail:
- In a cocktail shaker, add basil and lightly muddle. Add blueberry simple syrup and lemon juice, continuing to lightly muddle.
- Add gin, and fill cocktail mixer with ice. Shake thoroughly to combine, until cocktail shaker is too cold to handle.
- Pour into a Collins glass, garnishing with mint.
For the Blueberry Simple Syrup:
- In a medium saucepan combine water and sugar. Set over medium heat, lightly swirling as mixture starts to simmer. Once the sugar is dissolved, promptly remove from heat.
- Add prepared blueberries, cover saucepan, and allow blueberries to steep for at least 20 minutes. For a deeper blueberry flavor, lightly mash some blueberries with the back of a spoon and transfer mixture (with blueberries still steeping) to the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Remove blueberries, and store simple syrup in refrigerator until ready to use. Syrup will keep in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Tags: Blueberry Syrup, Cocktail Recipes, Cocktails, featured, Summer Cocktails, Summer Drinks, Tom Collins