It’s Labor Day weekend, which means it’s, unfortunately, the last few days of summer for us in Canada. So make sure you take time to relax in the sun with friends and have some cocktails. In the past few months, I have started discovering, tasting and researching Tequila. There is so much to learn since they all differ so much. I remember drinking tequila in my 20’s and hating it. Mostly because it was always in short form, in a bar and it would burn. We all have made that face while downing a shot of tequila before, and then we all pretend it’s tasty…but deep down inside, we just wanted to cry. Just me? Ok then…
Two years ago during a trip to Mexico, I got the chance to visit a local family-owned distillery and sampled their small-batch tequilas. We were shown how to taste and savour the tequila and my mind was blown. We tasted 5 different flavours, each one better than the next. These were sweet, rich and so smooth.
Since then, I have been way more open to tequila-based cocktails and have come to enjoy the taste of tequila.
This is a recipe for a refreshing cocktail with tons of flavour, yet so easy to make with simple ingredients.
All you need is:
-
1.5 oz of tequila
-
1 oz of lime juice
-
2 oz of watermelon juice
-
1/2 oz of basil simple syrup (recipe included below)
-
1 cup of ice
- fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add tequila, freshly squeezed lime juice, watermelon juice, basil simple syrup and shake. Rim a glass with salt and pour the mixture into the service glass. Garnish with fresh basil.
NOTE: You can use store-bought juice, or if you want to cut the sugar down and impress your guests…cut up chunks of watermelon and liquify in a blender.
Basil Simple Syrup Recipe:
Combine an equal ratio of sugar and water (usually 1 cup of each is plenty) in a saucepan and add 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves. Heat the mixture until sugar is completely dissolved. Once cooled, strain the contents into a jar and refrigerate the simple syrup. Keep if for a maximum of two weeks.
Christopher is a food and lifestyle expert, recipe developer and the content creator behind May Eighty Five. With over 6 years of creating recipes for your favourite food brands, he also shares tips, tricks and how to’s that he has learnt over the years. Every week, he shares quick, simple and mostly healthy recipes along with some home and entertaining tips. You will find flavorful cocktails, delicious appetizers, tasty mains and some indulgent desserts.
