Drink up, my pretty…

When most people think of green drinks, Absinthe comes to mind.
Unfortunately, it’s illegal to buy here in the U.S., because of the rare but serious risk of contracting Bad Poetry Syndrome from drinking it. Still, I am a fan of pretty much anything green, and wholeheartedly endorse green foods or beverages (I mean naturally green, not like that green beer on St. Patty’s - yuck). This recipe is adapted from Epicurious, but I think this sort of thing is quite popular in places like India and Iran, where people use sharbat - sweet fruit or herb syrup - to make interesting and flavourful drinks. The pairing of basil and lime here is delicious and refreshing - just pour a few tablespoons into a glass and top with seltzer or club soda.

Basil Lime Syrup
3/4 cup sugar
Peel of 1 lime (just the green part)
1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup water
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, washed

Boil sugar, lime peel, lime juice, and water until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let syrup stand about 15 minutes, uncovered.
Throw out the peel and pour the syrup into a blender. Add basil and blend 20 seconds. Pour through a sieve lined with a cheesecloth into a bowl or jar, and cool. If you don’t have cheesecloth you can just use a fine sieve, but your syrup will have a little bit of harmless basil sediment.

Makes about 1 cup. Syrup keeps for about 1 week.