Cocktail Time!

I love the idea of combining flavorful alcohol with fresh ingredients from the garden, and I wanted to come up with something creative by myself.  It seemed beyond my amateur palate's abilities at first, but once you start experimenting, you figure it out.  This one uses very common household ingredients but seems all fancy and gourmet or whatever.  I've already had two, so shut up.

Blueberry Tonic

Makes 2 drinks

¼ cup blueberries (fresh or thawed)

2 tablespoons sugar

4 oz. gin

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons lime juice

Tonic water (optional)

Place basil leave and sugar in a cocktail shaker and muddle with a wooden spoon.  Add blueberries and crush fruit into herb mixture.  Add the gin, lime juice, and plenty of ice and shaker vigorously to incorporate.  Strain into 2 old fashioned or Tom Collins glasses over ice and top with tonic water.

I hope that the lovely cartoonist Natalie Dee
won't mind being associated with this post.