|| Absinthe, Basil | Simple Sour ||
This is one of my earlier creations. I went through a phase then where I was amazed by how something as intense as absinthe could actually make a drink smoother – if used in moderation! I was also charmed by the family of gin – absinthe – dry vermouth cocktails, like the Turf. And then I remembered I had once had a basil infused G&T at an event that I really liked – and this was before I got into cocktails at all (it was all craft beers for me then). They had this big glass jug with a tap that contained the drink and was filled with fresh basil leaves too (although I don’t remember if this included the tonic or not, I don’t think so).
So the thought that I had was straightforward: a basil-absinthe simple sour. Clearly a full measure of absinthe wasn’t going to make for a pleasant drink, no matter how much sugar and citrus you would stack against it, so the gin is primarily there to dilute the absinthe.
I get the basil in there by way of a syrup, which is simple to make: prepare your simple syrup by stirring your sugar and water over heat, then add a good hand of fresh basil (say 15g of basil to 300-400 ml of syrup). I keep a low heat under it for a little while, then turn it off and let it steep for a couple hours to a night, then strain. It will have a recognizable but gentle basil taste. Most of my batches do tend to form a mould after not too long, so make sure to clean your container well, filter very carefully, and either increase the sugar, add some neutral alcohol and/or keep cool.
This simple sour will get eggwhite, because I just really enjoy that smoothness. I also add a dash of hopped grapefruit bitters (by Bittermens) which works well in my opinion to add that additional depth, but honestly I had just gotten that bottle and was looking for more ways to use it!
The recipe then is the following:
- 30 ml Gin
- 10 ml Absinthe
- 15 ml basil syrup
- 20 ml lemon juice
- 1 ds Hopped Grapefruit bitters (optional)
- 1 eggwhite (about 30ml)
Almost all the amounts can be tweaked depending on your taste and the basilness (basility?) of your syrup. Dry shake (because of the eggwhite), then add ice and Shake & Strain into a nice sour glass. Garnish with a basil leaf if you have it.
This drink is a pleasing drink. It has a fun flavour combination and it is smooth in the face of the reasonable expectation for most of these ingredients to be otherwise. It remains a favourite of mine to drink and to serve because it’s simple but striking.
I may be even more pleased, though, with the name. Clearly, most people will recognize the “fairy” part as a reference to absinthe, its nickname having been “the green fairy” supposedly for its hallucinogenic properties once upon a time, although that was likely exaggerated and most effects probably attributable to getting absolutely hammered (citation needed).
Of course basil is also green, just like absinthe, so “fairy” has a sort of implicit green association, but other than that any reference to the colour in the name of this drink was off limits. Luckily, etymology comes to the rescue, as it so often does. “Basil” has its roots in the Greek “basileus” meaning king. Alexander the Great and the Byzantine emperors used the title, and the proper noun Basil and the word basilica (the church building) derive from it. As does the leafy herb, because and/or due to which it is also known as the ‘royal herb’.