Basil Ginger Drop

You have probably never used “ basil” and “great cocktail” in the same sentence… all that is about to change! The ‘Basil Ginger Drop’ delivers a refreshingly herbal punch that is sure to get any party started!

Visiting my sister in Shanghai last year, I spent a number of drunkenly happy evenings at Sichuan Citizen, a trendy restaurant that boasted a cocktail list that included an incredibly addictive Basil Drop! I wasn’t so sure at first, as I normally associate basil with herb gardens and pesto… one sip was enough – I had to recreate these at home!

Whilst gulping down alcohol is hardly the healthiest activity, the basil will fortify both your digestive and nervous systems and the lemon juice will alkalise and detoxify your body… so it’s not all bad news! 😉

Recipe
serves 2

100ml / 3.4oz vodka
60ml / 2oz lemon juice
5mm / 0.2in of a knob of ginger – peeled and finely grated
4 basil sprigs – leaves only
40ml / 1.4oz sugar syrup* or 30ml / 1oz agave nectar
6 ice cubes

Decoration:
1tbsp caster sugar
1 lemon wedge
2 small basil sprig

Take 2 martini glasses and moisten their rim with the lemon wedge.
Put the sugar on a small plate and gently roll the rim of the glass in it in order to cover the rim in sugar.
Add the vodka, lemon juice, grated ginger, basil leaves and sugar syrup/agave nectar to your blender and blend until the basil has dissolved.
Add the ice cubes to your mixture and blend until the ice cubes have dissolved.
Pour into the sugar-rimmed martini glasses. Decorate with a basil sprig.
Enjoy!

* To make sugar syrup simply bring 100g / 0.5cup of sugar and 100ml / 3.4oz of water to a boil until the sugar has dissolved. Put aside to cool. This will give you approximately 150ml / 5oz of sugar syrup.

Tips / Variations:

A ‘Basil Ginger Drop’ tastes great even without the ginger.

Print recipe here: Basil Ginger Drop Recipe

Did you know
Vodka can do more than just get you drunk, It can be used to kill both germs and mould. It can even keep your flowers fresh!

Dip your razor in vodka – it will disinfect the blade and prevent it from rusting.
No need to go to the dry-cleaner, vodka kills the bacteria that cause body odour. Spritz a vodka dilution on your garments, hang them up in an aired room – the smells will vanish (won’t help with stains though).
Clean your glasses with a vodka-water mix (add a few drops of dish soap).
Extend the life of your cut flowers! Adding a few drops of vodka and a generous pinch of sugar to their water will stimulate ethylene production. Change daily!

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September 12, 2014November 5, 2020 by Françoise La Prune Categories: Food, Food Photography, Food Styling, RecipesTags: restaurant, vegetarian 24 Comments

24 thoughts on “Basil Ginger Drop”

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Hi! Thank you for the recipe. I really enjoyed it. However, at Sichuan Citizen, there is freat foam.on top.Do you know how to realize that?

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I’m so happy I came across this! I was obsessed with this drink and the restaurant when I was doing my exchange in shanghai! Thank you for this 🙂

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I’ve been wanting to create this for ages,finally decided to search it just now and Hey presto! Thank you for sharing! I lived in shanghai for 8 years and this was one of my favourite drinks!!

Amelia

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Françoise La Prune says:

Aug 13, 2016 at 5:31 pm

Hahahaha it’s the killer this drink! Just leave out the ginger and it should be almost like in Shanghai!!! ❤️❤️❤️ good times…

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Oh my god thank you so much!! I’m visiting my cousin in Shanghai right now and yesterday I was at Sechuan Citizen and had the Basil Drop cocktail. I was dying to find a recipe, that’s awesome!
How do you get as much foam as they have at Sechuan Citizen though? It almost looked as if they had used a milk foam thingy to make it, do you have any idea about that?

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Françoise La Prune says:

Aug 13, 2016 at 5:33 pm

Hey Alex! Glad I managed to help you! Regarding the foam, add some fresh egg white and shake vigorously in a cocktail shaker instead of a blender. Leave out the ginger to have it really like at Szechuan Citizen! Let me know how it goes! 😉

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This sounds wonderful… and I love your “Did You Know”. Thanks for stopping by CONFIDENT in the KITCHEN and liking French Toast. I am just getting started with WP and I am so inspired by your beautiful pictures and colorful writing. 🙂

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Françoise La Prune says:

Jul 19, 2015 at 10:40 am

Dear Jean, thank you so much for your lovely comment! Just checked out your blog and you’ve already got a nice collection of food pictures! Well done! Looks all very yummy! 🙂 Wishing you a great start with your blog and am looking forward reading more of you! 😀

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