We had a lot of questions regarding the drinks from last Thursday night (a picture was posted on our Instagram). Many asked how they were made, so here is the recipe for our Strawberry Rickey. . . after a little story from that night.
Learn from our Mistakes
In truth, we made two different types of drinks, but the first one was prettier so that was the one that was photographed. Maureen sent me the recipes Thursday morning so that I could pick up the ingredients ahead of time. I noticed one called for lime juice, the other lemon juice, so I asked if I should buy the juice.
No.
Alrighty – fresh lemons and limes it is.
Once home, we laid out the ingredients and went to work – I don’t think we realized how long it was going to take. If we had thought it through, the prep-work would have been done in advance. (Or I would have purchased the lime/lemon juice already squeezed – jus’ sayin’). But often times we fly by the seat of our pants – sometimes it works out, sometimes not. 😜So, we rolled up our sleeves and got busy wringing every ounce of juice from those babies. Once that was done – Sarah started to prepare the strawberry/basil simple syrup. Prepare – as in fire up the stovetop and cook the ingredients. Wait . . . the simple syrup has to be cooked? I knew we were in trouble. I looked down into the pot of hot syrup on the stove and then up to Sarah.
“That’s hot . . .”
She looked at me like I was an idiot. “Uh huh.”
“It’s gonna have to cool.”
Again, idiot-look: “Uh huh.”
I look at her and then Maureen and then back to Sarah.
“So, when the hell are we drinking?”
“Ummmm.”
Exactly.
Needless to say, that puppy went into the freezer to expedite the cooling process. Once the concoction was no longer piping hot, we rimmed the martini glasses with edible glitter (which I LOVED and can see using for the holidays) and garnished with the basil and fresh strawberries.
So yes – labor intensive, but super yummy. And totally worth the effort. Enough so, that I imagine we’ll make them again. Just . . . if I could suggest at least one thing: if you are going to forgo the already-prepared-store-available lemon/lime juice – for the love of God, prepare the simple syrup in advance.
Consider that my public service announcement for the day.
Strawberry Rickey
Ingredients
Strawberry Basil Simple Syrup:
½ cup granulated sugar (we used Splenda)
½ cup water
½ cup fresh strawberries – sliced
4 basil leaves
To Assemble
½ cup strawberry basil simple syrup
½ cup gin
½ cup lemon juice
½ cup soda water (we used Pellegrino)
2 ½ cups of ice
Garnish
Basil leaves, mint sprigs, lemon slices or strawberries
Instructions:
Prepare the strawberry basil simple syrup. In a small pot over medium heat combine the sugar, water, sliced strawberries, and basil leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook until the strawberries are mushy and the syrup has thickened – around 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool down. Strain over a glass jar with lid and set aside for later use.
– Darlene
 Strawberry Rickey in 3 Easy Steps){kind=link}
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