Sommelier Shelley Lindgren came upon a Basil Gimlet made with vodka while visiting the Boston restaurant Via Matta and shared the news with her husband, Greg Lindgren, owner of the San Francisco bar, Rye. The idea was a perfect fit for San Francisco, where bartenders loved to use fresh produce in their cocktails. Substituting gin for vodka, Lindgren put the drink on his menu and, for a few years thereafter, the Basil Gimlet was ubiquitous throughout San Francisco.
Basil Gimlet
Greg Lindgren, Rye | San Francisco
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 2 ounces gin, preferably Junipero
- 1 ounce lime juice
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
- 5 basil leaves
Garnish: basil leaf
Directions
- Muddle the basil leaves in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.
- Add all other ingredients and ice.
- Shake until chilled, about 15 seconds.
- Fine strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a basil leaf.