Monday, September 29, 2014
The calendar may read “autumn,” but the hot weather in Boston definitely says “summer.” Not to mention there are still crisp green cucumbers and sweet basil at my local farmers’ market. It just so happens that this drink is also featured in the summer menu of my new book National Geographic Foods for Health. (You can learn more about it here and buy it online here.) For all of these reasons, today is the perfect occasion to mix up a cucumber basil sparkler.
Now, if you’re new to my blog, a quick trip to the recipe page or this slideshow will quickly reveal my love of luscious libations of the alcoholic variety. Yet that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy creating tasty mocktails for those who don’t consume alcohol. (Or when it’s two o’clock in the afternoon.) You may even find that your kids enjoy this fizzy green drink, little more than homemade soda flavored with cucumber purée and lightly sweetened with basil simple syrup.
For the original story behind this recipe and the how-to, click here. Then grab a cucumber, basil, sparkling water, and lime, and you’ll be enjoying this refreshing drink in no time.
It really is divine, the sparkling essence of summer in a glass—and it doesn’t need alcohol to delight the palate.
But I won’t stop you from adding a shot of gin or vodka, either.
