sparkling basil and lemon

orangette made basil lemonade. i made her lemon and basil sugar syrup but added cava instead of water. it was delicious and delicate and i expect that i will be making this again, and again. perfect for a summery aperitif or “just because.”

basil & lemon syrup*

500ml water

200g granulated sugar

4 strips lemon zest (i used my y-peeler, each strip was 1cm x 4cm)

c75g fresh basil sprigs

in a medium saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and zest. bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. remove from the heat, add the basil, stir to combine, and let stand at room temperature, covered, for 1 hour. transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and chill until cold, about 1 hour. strain the syrup through a sieve into an airtight container, pressing hard on and then discarding the solids.

note: the syrup will keep, covered and chilled, for up to five days. the recipe can also be easily doubled.

* this is enough syrup for 4 bottles of cava