Strawberry Basil Press

In celebration of the upcoming nice weather, a yummy strawberry basil press! It’s a great recipe with or without the vodka, which means it can be served as a fun non-alcoholic drink for kids, too. (Kind of like a fancy Shirley Temple!)

Sugary drinks don’t typically appeal to me, but this one is a great balance between slightly-sweet, fruity, and refreshing. A “press” refers to a drink that is made with half soda water and half sprite (or 7-up or gingerale), which obviously means there’s less sugar. I’ve put my own little twist on a classic “press”, and I hope you enjoy it!

Makes 6-12oz. servings

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh strawberries
10 basil leaves (plus more for garnish)
3 Tablespoons honey
3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar (or champagne vinegar)
soda water
sprite or 7-up
vodka (optional)

Directions:

Wash the strawberries and remove the hull, then slice and place in a medium bowl. Add the vinegar and the honey to the strawberries, stir, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the mixture sit at room temp for a couple of hours, minimum. If you have time, it wouldn’t hurt to leave the mixture in the fridge overnight. (The vinegar does a great job of breaking down the berries, but also really brings out a bright, sweet flavor.)

Place your strawberry mixture into a blender with 10 (give or take a few) basil leaves and puree. Put ice in your glassware, then divide the puree evenly among 6 glasses. Add 1.5 ounces of vodka to each glass, then add 1/2 soda water and 1/2 sprite or 7-up to fill the rest of the glass, and garnish with basil. Cheers!