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Home » Recipes » Drinks

Basil Vodka Gimlet aka Băsil Dazzle

April 13, 2018 Updated July 3, 2022 by Lisa Goldfinger 13 Comments This post may contain affiliate links

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A gimlet is traditionally a gin drink made with lime juice and simple syrup, usually served with a wheel of lime on the rim. Vodka can be easily substituted and in fact, a vodka gimlet has become Lisa’s go-to cocktail. (By the way, this is Eddie, Lisa's husband, guest-blogging). In this recipe, I am adding basil which introduces a new, refreshing flavor plus the opportunity to feature a basil leaf as a garnish. It’s an especially delicious summer drink but like most cocktails can be enjoyed in any season.

a martini glass filled with a green colored basil vodka gimlet and garnished with basil leaves attached to the glass with a mini clothespin.

Lisa and I had plans a few Friday nights back to meet at a club called George. As I was getting ready to head over she called to let me know they were having a cocktail competition and she thought I should give it a go.

The competition organizers asked for a list of the ingredients in advance. The core spirit had to be vodka since the contest was sponsored by Absolut Elyx. After finding out what ingredients they had on hand and talking through some options with Lisa, I opted for a basil vodka gimlet. In addition to trying to win over the judges with the heavy vodka proportion, I had a trick up my sleeve and was looking forward to trying it out.

Hands pouring a basil vodka gimlet cocktail into a martini glass with lots of limes and basil leaves in the background

Shortly after I arrived, they announced the rules of the contest. There were five or six criteria on which the drink entries would be judged, including the name of the drink, taste, balance of the ingredients, passion of the contestant and so on. For a name, I came up with The Absolut Basil Dazzle. Including 'Absolut' in the name was a nod to the sponsors, who I assumed (correctly) would also be judges. For the rest of the name, it’s important for you to know that here in London, basil rhymes with dazzle.

(that's me below at Club George shaking up my Basil Dazzle)

Eddie shaking up his basil vodka gimlet cocktail at Club George in London, behind the bar

After icing down the martini glass, I muddled the basil with a small amount of sugar and some of the lime juice in the bottom of the shaker. Then I added the rest of the lime juice and the vodka along with some simple syrup and ice, shook the shaker vigorously (with "passion"), and strained the contents into the glass.

Then the surprise. I pulled out of my pocket a tiny clothespin I had brought along with me and affixed a leaf of basil to the rim of the glass.

a green colored Basil Vodka Gimlet cocktail shown from above, with a basil leaf attached to the glass with a tiny clothespin, and limes on the table around it.

The judges nearly fell off their stools. I had just ordered a bunch of these clothespins after first seeing them used in cocktails at a place called the Whistling Shop in London. I am always after new cocktail accessory ideas that add a little something extra to a drink.

My Basil Vodka Gimlet took second place!

As a prize I won the beautiful copper cocktail set pictured in this post.

 

A Basil Vodka Gimlet on a table next to a copper cocktail shaker and strainer and a big bunch of basil.

The winning cocktail took a very different direction, with a generous helping of cayenne pepper featuring strongly in the flavor.

This Basil Vodka Gimlet is a refreshing lime and basil-infused vodka cocktail with a touch of sweetness made with muddled basil, fresh lime juice, vodka and simple syrup l panningtheglobe.com

In truth, my drink came out a tiny bit sweeter than I had planned, as I hadn’t adequately adjusted the amount of simple syrup for the sugar I used in the muddling process. (The idea I had in adding the sugar was that its grit would possibly enhance muddling effectiveness.) The recipe below eliminates the sugar entirely. The sweetness is now as it should be and it turns out the muddling works fine without the sugar.

This Basil Vodka Gimlet is a refreshing lime and basil-infused vodka cocktail with a touch of sweetness made with muddled basil, fresh lime juice, vodka and simple syrup l panningtheglobe.com

The Basil Vodka Gimlet or The Basil Dazzle, as we usually call it, has become Lisa's new favorite cocktail. We bought a basil plant and we water it faithfully to keep up with demand.

If you follow Panning The Globe you might already know that I'm in charge of cocktails here. Here are a few more you might enjoy:

  • The Swinging Sultan
  • The Perfect Manhattan
  • The Boulevardier
  • The Paper Plane
  • The Bone Crusher

Lisa holding a basil vodka gimlet cocktail in her hand, smiling, as if to say cheers!

Here's the recipe for making a Basil Vodka Gimlet and if you try it out please come back and leave a star rating and a comment. Lisa and I would love to know what you think.

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Basil vodka gimlet cocktail in a martini glass with two basil leave attached by a tiny clothespin, a bowl of limes in the background and a few basil leaves scattered on the blue talble

Basil Vodka Gimlet


★★★★★

4.7 from 6 reviews

  • Author: Eddie
  • Total Time: 5 mins
  • Yield: 1 drink 1x
Print Recipe

Description

A refreshing lime and basil infused vodka cocktail with a touch of sweetness.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 5 or 6 large basil leaves plus one for garnish
  • 1 ounce fresh lime juice
  • ½ ounce simple syrup
  • 3 ½ ounces vodka
  • Optional flourish: a tiny clothespin to pin a basil leaf to the glass

Instructions

  1. Place the lime juice and the basil into a metal cocktail shaker. Using a muddler, mash the basil leaves thoroughly against the bottom of the shaker.
  2. Add the simple syrup and vodka and fill with ice cubes to the surface of the liquid. Shake vigorously until the shaker is freezing your hands, perhaps 15 seconds or so. My feeling is you can't serve a gimlet that's too cold and besides a good shake is part of the presentation. Show some passion!
  3. Strain into a martini glass, and garnish with a basil leaf. If you have a tiny clothespin (here's a link) use that to fasten the basil leaf to the glass. If not, you could hang a lime wheel over the side and use a toothpick to attach the basil leaf to the lime.
  4. Serve immediately.
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: no cook
  • Category: Cocktail
  • Method: Muddle and shake
  • Cuisine: British

Keywords: Gimlet with basil, Basil lime vodka cocktail, Lime gimlet with muddled basil

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turns out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram with the hashtag #panningtheglobe

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Drinks, Entertaining, Quick and Easy, Vegetarian Tagged With: Cocktails

Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Kara B

    July 03, 2022 at 9:02 am

    This is the best vodka gimlet! The muddled basil is such a beautiful flavor along with the lime juice. Thank you for my new favorite cocktail!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Dee Anna & Jeff

    August 12, 2020 at 1:24 am

    Five stars for sure! Not too strong for me and my husband...we loved it! The perfect cure to the end of a stressful day at work! My 3 favorite ingredients ...vodka, lime and basil...I searched In Pinterest and this is the recipe that came first...soooo glad we tried it! A+

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa

      August 12, 2020 at 7:26 am

      Vodka lime and basil are my favorites too! I'm so glad you enjoyed. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Ms. Linda

    May 22, 2020 at 8:20 pm

    Hi. I like vodka gimlets but this one is a bit strong for me. The basil with the lime is nice and tasty but the alcohol taste was almost overwhelming. Maybe it's that I'm accustomed to two and a half ounces rather than three and a half ounces.

    ★★★

    Reply
  4. Jackie

    February 25, 2020 at 6:22 pm

    Does it have to be fresh lime juice or can I use bottled?

    Reply
    • Lisa

      February 26, 2020 at 7:31 am

      Hi Jackie, You can use bottled lime juice and it will still be delicious but best if you can find the natural bottled lime juice that's 100% juice. Rose's Lime juice will work but it's not my favorite because it contains high fructose corn syrup and preservatives and doesn't taste as bright and tangy as pure lime juice.

      Reply
  5. beejay

    May 31, 2018 at 5:37 pm

    Love vodka gimlets! Addition of basil is brilliant, and the tiny clothespin! I'm never sure how to get things, like a basil leaf, that can't be skewered into a drink without losing them. Whoever originated that idea was a genius.

    Thanks for all the good things!

    Reply
  6. jen goldyn

    April 24, 2018 at 11:21 am

    YUM!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. Susan M

    April 24, 2018 at 9:29 am

    Omg Lisa, you are one lucky lady!
    This looks delightful and I can’t wait to try it.

    Reply
    • Lisa

      April 24, 2018 at 12:30 pm

      I do feel lucky. I have an in-house bartender who knows how to make my favorite cocktail 🙂 I hope you love the Basil Dazzle as much as I do!

      Reply
  8. Jeanne Dyson

    April 15, 2018 at 8:01 pm

    THIS will be my cocktail for the summer! Thanks, it's perfect for a chef in Florida!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  9. Lauren Smith | The Oatmeal Artist

    April 14, 2018 at 8:34 am

    I came here for the basil gimlet...but now I see you have tons of other amazing cocktail recipes. I'm already hooked on your blog! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lisa

      April 15, 2018 at 11:14 am

      Hi Lauren, I'm so glad you found us and tapped into our cocktail archive. We do have some good ones! I hope you love the basil gimlet as much as I do. 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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