Blueberry Basil (Bourbon Lemonade

• Vegan
• Gluten free

• Produce

  • 2 cups Basil, loosely packed leaves
  • 2 cups Blueberries
  • 8 Lemons

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 cup Sugar

• Drinks

  • 1 liter Seltzer

• Liquids

  • 5 cups Water

Found on bunsenburnerbakery.com

Description

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 5 cups water, divided
• 8 lemons (enough for 1 cup of freshly-squeezed lemon juice)
• 1 liter seltzer
• 2 cups blueberries
• 2 cups basil leaves, loosely packed
• optional: bourbon, vodka, or rum

Directions

• Begin by making a simple syrup, combining the sugar and 1 cup of the water in a small saucepan.  Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat, just until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Remove from the heat to cool.Roll the lemons back and forth over the counter, or microwave briefly, 10-15 seconds, to help release the juice.  Cut each lemon in half and squeeze over a measuring cup, until you have 1 cup of lemon juice.Add the simple syrup and lemon juice to a large pitcher, followed by the remaining 4 cups of water.  Stir and adjust to taste, adding a few tablespoons of sugar or the juice of half a lemon if it is either too sweet or too tart.  {Be aware of the volume of your pitcher – you may need to split this into two pitchers, like I did.}Add in the 2 cups of blueberries and the basil leaves and stir.  Use the back of a long wooden spoon to squeeze the blueberries against the side of the pitcher, breaking up some of the whole blueberries.  At this point, you can wait up to 24 hours before proceeding to the next step, allowing the blueberry and basil flavors to meld with the lemonade.Immediately before serving, add the liter of seltzer to the pitcher.Serve in a highball glass filled with ice and the liquor of your choosing.