When life gives you lemons..... AND basil.....

Well. . . you make basil-infused lemonade of course! Right??

 I massacred my basil bushes the other morning because it was looking rather overgrown, and had a ton of it in a bowl for me to figure out what to do with it. My daddy would say, at the least, dry it out and use it for sauce! But, I thought I'd play around with it first. (More of that "Chopped" mentality working in me.)
I saw some lemons in my kitchen waiting to be squeezed and decided to make some homemade lemonade infused with fresh basil.
I had no idea if it would taste good or not, but the idea was worth a try, so I fiddled in the kitchen for a bit and you can see the result above. Let me tell you- it was refreshingly delicious and not at all weird! In fact, it was hard to put it down! 

The very next day I realized ANOTHER thing you can make when life gives you lemons AND basil. . .

Basil-infused Arnold Palmers!

Yep! But this was wasn't good- it was better than good- SO good- that I have had one every afternoon since! (Just in case you don't already know- an Arnold Palmer is a very popular drink named after a famous golfer, that is made by mixing lemonade with iced tea. It's yummy! Aside from juicing the lemons, it's very easy to make. Let me tell you what I did. 

Basil-Infused Lemonade

Ingredients
(for the basil-infused simple syrup)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 cup chopped, fresh basil leaves, cleaned

lemons

To make this drink, you must first make the simple syrup. A simple syrup is just a mixture of sugar and water dissolved over heat and then cooled. It can be infused with any herbs or fruits and then strained, refrigerated and saved for later use. For this recipe, simply place the sugar, water and basil in a small pot, heat on medium and stir until dissolved. Strain it into a mason jar and store in the refrigerator until ready to make your lemonade. 

Then, squeeze enough lemons to equal about 1/3 of the amount of lemonade you will want. Then add this to a pitcher and combine it with equal parts water and the simple syrup. Stir and taste. You may add more water, or syrup if desired to fit your taste. I like mine tart, so using exact equal parts will create a tart drink for you. Pour this over ice and garnish with a basil leaf and lemon slice. 

To make a basil-infused Arnold Palmer, simply mix equal parts un-sweetened iced tea to your basil-infused lemonade and enjoy! I hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as I do!