This basil gin lemonade cocktail is both fresh AND refreshing. It combines the sourness of lemon juice, the sweetness of agave syrup, and the herbaceous flavors of gin and basil. You’ll love it for summer and for a crowd-pleasing wedding cocktail (it was my own signature drink!). Get the easy recipe below.
Basil Gin Lemonade Cocktail
- Vegan
- Gluten-Free
- Yield: 1
- Prep Time: 1 minute
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 2 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 oz. gin
- 1 oz. lemon juice, freshly squeezed (about 1 lemon)
- ¼ oz. agave syrup
- 5-6 leaves fresh basil
- Optional: 1 slice cucumber, for garnish
Recipe
- Add basil, gin, and agave syrup to a cocktail glass, then muddle the basil thoroughly.
- Add lemon juice and muddle again.
- Add ice to your cocktail glass.
- Stir the cocktail with a bar spoon for 15-30 seconds.
- Optional: garnish with a basil leaf and/or cucumber slice.
Why You’ll Love It
This recipe is a crowd-pleaser—it was actually our signature wedding cocktail!
We wanted something that had a spirit that both men and women liked and that also felt very fresh and refreshing for spring/summer. We called it the “Freshly Married.” It was a hit with our guests!
Tips
Most gin is vegan, including the most popular store-bought brands, including Tanqueray, Beefeater, Bombay Sapphire, and Hendricks.
This recipe is also vegan because it uses agave syrup instead of simple syrup or sugar. However, if you don’t want it to be strictly vegan, you can substitute the agave for sugar or simple syrup.
I recommend Hendricks for this basil gin lemonade cocktail recipe because it really highlights the gin’s herbaceous notes. Other gins can be more lime-forward, which is not truly the profile of this recipe.
You can make a lighter version of this cocktail by halving the gin and doubling the lemon juice. It still tastes great, but more fruity and less herbaceous.
However, we recommend against substituting lemonade. The fresh lemon juice makes a huge difference — we tested both.
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