Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Opal Basil Gimlet


 I've had a major obsession with Basil for years now, and have tried to put it in pretty much everything edible.  Yogurt, Ice Cream (which is delicious), and of course spirit.  I tried a few failed attempts at making Basil Liqueur, which always ended badly and went down the drain.

Basil Gin was the first infusion I made with the Sous Vide, following the recipe from The Cocktail Lab by Tony Conigliaro, but of course I grabbed the gorgeous Opal Basil at the market!  It's quite simple: wash  basil, put basil in sous vide bag, add gin, squeeze out air, seal bag, throw in sous vide, strain.  Presto!  Basil Gin!




The gin picks up a yellowish green tint from the Basil, and if you're really hard core you'd throw that in a centrifuge to get all of the chlorophyll particles out of your spirit.  I'm still working on getting a centrifuge, so my Basil Gin stays green. 


Gimlets have become one of my favorite cocktails, mostly because when I get together with my girlfriends from architecture school we without fail start the evening off with gimlets.  The are one of those drinks that is a "happy place" for me.  If you use high quality, fresh ingredients, Gimlets are delicious: fresh, piquant, and just the right amount of boozy kick.


The Opal Basil Gin does very well in a Gimlet, the basil giving it just another layer of herbaceous flavor, and the fresh lime adding the citrus-y zip. Garnish with a clipping of the top of the basil plant, right where it begins to blossom, adding more of that sweet basil aroma to the cocktail. 

Enjoy!



Opal Basil Gimlet
Created by Gastronomista

2 oz Opal Basil Gin
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice

Opal Basil to Garnish

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a fresh clipping of Opal Basil.



Opal Basil Gin

2 g Fresh Opal Basil (around 10-15 leaves)
2 c Gin

Add ingredients to the vacuum bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, and seal.
Place in Sous Vide at 125 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour.
Strain with Cheese Cloth, and store in a non-reactive container.  (I like glass flip-top bottles).

Equipment: Sous Vide Supreme, vacuum sealer, & vacuum pouches.  Glass bottles for storing.

Pro Tip:
Use the seal function only, do not use the vacuum function when preparing liquids.



Basil Gin recipe modified from The Cocktail Lab by Tony Conigliaro


-This post is part of a series for Sous Vide Supreme-

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