Basil Cocktail

“Our favorite basil cocktail; we love making it with gin. Using an NA gin makes our favorite summer mocktail!”

—Hayley

“This was so fresh and herby. Gonna try it with my sweet Thai basil next.”

—Will

The Best Basil Cocktail You’ll Want To Make All Summer Long

There’s something deeply satisfying about a cocktail that tastes like summer, and not in a “coconut rum and sunscreen” kind of way. We’re talking about fresh herbs, a squeeze of citrus, and a little sparkle to keep things light. If your basil plant is currently thriving (nothing grows faster or larger in our backyard garden than basil), this basil cocktail is your new go-to.

While we can sprinkle big leaves of it onto pasta dishes and caprese salad all summer long, there will always still be more. Even after you harvest it, it grows back so quickly.

With over 100,000 pageviews for this basil drink, our guess is that a lot of you might have an excess basil problem, too. If you’re looking to make drinks with basil, this is the best place to start.

It’s simple, it’s fragrant, and it just might outshine your usual G&T. Let’s give that basil the happy hour it deserves. This fresh basil cocktail recipe made with muddled basil, vodka, lime juice and tonic water is light, crisp and refreshing. You’ll want to make it all summer long.

Basil Drink Ingredients

A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts, appears at the bottom of this post.

• fresh basil leaves – the fresher, the better! You will need about 10 medium basil leaves to muddle into each basil vodka cocktail. Pluck a few extra leaves for garnish, too.
• sugar – regular white, granulated sugar is what we use to muddle the basil and sweeten the basil smash cocktail. We suggest 2 teaspoons of sugar in each cocktail, but if you prefer a less sweet drink, you can start with 1 teaspoon and taste to see how you like it.
• lime – fresh lime juice will go into this basil cocktail recipe for tartness, and you can garnish the drink with rounds or wedges of lime, as well.
• vodka – we prefer a nicer vodka like Tito’s or Grey Goose for these cocktails with basil. We suggest 1-1/2 ounces of vodka per cocktail, but you can use 2 ounces if you’d like a stronger drink.
• tonic water – this will top the basil drinks off with some nice carbonation, making it that much more refreshing. You can also use club soda or sparkling water, like San Pellegrino.

Bartending Equipment You’ll Need

Shaker

Hopefully, you have a cocktail shaker on hand for this basil vodka cocktail! You’ll be using this to muddle the basil and sugar in, and to shake the cocktail with ice once the vodka and lime juice are added.

If you do not have a cocktail shaker, no worries. Muddle the basil in a large, sturdy glass, and then simply stir the basil drink well instead of shaking once you add the vodka, lime juice and ice. Or use a mason jar as a cocktail shaker!

Strainer

It’s ideal if your cocktail shaker set has a strainer, because it’s best to strain this cocktail after shaking (just to get out any large pieces of basil; small pieces are OK). If you don’t have a cocktail specific strainer, any fine mesh strainer that you have will work for this basil cocktail recipe.

Muddler

Muddling is simply gently smashing fresh ingredients like herbs or fruit to release their flavor before making a cocktail with them. You can buy a bartending muddler (typically made of wood or a combination of metal and rubber or plastic) or simply use the handle of a wooden spoon to make these cocktails with basil.

Jigger

If you’re going to be making basil smash cocktails on a regular basis, we suggest investing in a jigger so that you can measure the liquid ingredients accurately. If you don’t have a jigger, you can use measuring spoons. Start by memorizing that 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons and you’re good to go.

How To Make Basil Cocktails

1. MUDDLE. In a cocktail shaker, combine the basil leaves and sugar. Muddle until the sugar dissolves and the basil breaks down completely. You’re aiming for a vibrant green, slightly soupy mix.

2. SHAKE IT UP. Add the vodka, lime juice, and a handful of ice to the shaker. Cover it up and give it a good shake (about 10 seconds).

3. SERVE. Fill a double old fashioned cocktail glass with fresh ice, and then strain the vodka mixture into the glass. Top the glass with tonic water. Garnish with basil and lime wheel and serve immediately.

Make A Large Batch Of Basil Drinks

This basil vodka cocktail recipe doubles well in one cocktail shaker. Make it as written below, but simply double the amount of each ingredient.

To make a larger batch of this basil drink, use a sturdy glass pitcher and multiply the recipe by as many servings as you need. Muddle the basil and sugar in the bottom of the pitcher. Then, fill the pitcher with ice, add the vodka and lime, top with tonic water, and give a gentle stir.

The Best Spirits For Basil Cocktails

We love vodka for this basil smash cocktail because it has a neutral flavor that won’t overwhelm the floral fragrance of the basil.

But, if you’re not a fan of vodka, you’re still in luck. We’ve tested these drinks with basil using gin, and they’re delicious that way as well. In fact, the floral flavor of the basil echoes the floral flavor of the gin, which is perfect! You could even try tequila for a twist that tastes like a margarita.

Substitute an equal amount of gin or tequila for the vodka called for in the basil cocktail below.

Sweetener Variations

We used granulated sugar for this basil cocktail because the grit from the sugar helps to break down the basil leaves. But, there are other options.

If you have simple syrup on hand, you can use that for this basil drink. Start with 1/4 ounce (1-1/2 teaspoons) per drink, and add more to taste if needed.

You can also use agave nectar or honey for these cocktails with basil. Again, start with 1/4 ounce per drink, and add more to taste if needed.