Tipple | Lemon Basil Spritzer

A refreshing drink for warm garden days

Serves 6

240g granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon, peeled into strips
3 large lemon basil leaves (sweet basil works, too), plus more to garnish
750ml bottle dry sparkling wine, chilled

1 In a small pan, gently heat the sugar and 250ml water until the sugar has dissolved. Add half the lemon zest strips and the three basil leaves, cover and set aside to steep for 30 mins.

2 Pour the mixture through a coffee filter, keeping the liquid and discarding the peel/leaves. Allow to cool for 1 hr.

3 In a large jug, combine the syrup with the sparkling wine and stir.

4 Fill six glasses with ice and pour over the spritzer. Garnish with basil leaves and lemon zest twists.

This idea is from our regular ‘Pick and Mix’ series on growing and eating flowers and herbs. This month we’re using lavender and basil and Lottie Storey has recipes for Fig Toast with Whipped Honey and Lavender Labne, Rosemary, Basil and Za’atar Aubergines and a Lavender and Honey Cheesecake.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our blog…

More summer tipples…

Recipe | Strawberry and pesto pasta salad

Strawberries and pasta? Why not! This fun and colourful salad has a bounty of fresh fruit and veg and the pesto avocado dressing is creamy yet light. Enjoy in the sunshine with a glass of something cold.

Strawberry and pesto pasta salad

300g dry pasta
1 broccoli, head and stalk
2 carrots, tops removed and peeled
250g fresh strawberries, hulled
1 nectarine, sliced
1 handful cherry tomatoes, halved
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
1 handful fresh basil leaves
Pesto and avocado dressing:
75g homemade* or shop-bought pesto
1 ripe avocado
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
To serve:
Shavings of pecorino or parmesan
Toasted pine nuts
Extra virgin olive oil

1 Cook the pasta until al dente.
2 Meanwhile, cut the broccoli into small florets, trim and roughly chop stalks and place in a sieve over the pasta water during the last few minutes of cooking. Drain pasta and broccoli and set aside.
3 Place all the dressing ingredients in a bowl, season and mash until combined.
4 Thinly slice the carrots, quarter the strawberries, slice the nectarine and halve the tomatoes. Transfer the pasta and broccoli to a large serving bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and dressing and gently toss to coat. Add a dash of water if you need to loosen the dressing.
5 Serve topped with pecorino, a sprinkling of pine nuts, seasoning and a drizzle of oil.

*To make homemade pesto, you will need:

100g fresh basil, leaves and stems picked
60g grana padano or parmesan, grated
50g pine nuts, toasted
80ml extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, peeled

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender, season to taste and blend until well combined. Store the pesto in the fridge in a sealable glass jar and it will keep for about a week. Alternatively, roll it into a log using a sheet of greaseproof paper and store it in the freezer.

Taken from Green Kitchen at Home by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl (Hardie Grant). 

More from the July issue:

More salad recipes:

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here.