artandcook-shop

photographer

Hallie Burton

prop stylist

Kiera Coffee

recipe developer

Tiffanie Barriere

Makes 1 cocktail

Ingredients

2 oz. Vodka
¾ oz. lemon juice
¾ oz. cranberry syrup*
Six basil leaves - leaving three for garnish

**Cranberry Syrup Ingredients

2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup white sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest

Basil is the aromatherapy you didn't even know you needed! Especially during the holiday season. Once you touch the leaves with your hands the essence fills the air. What a lovely cocktail-making environment. The addition of cranberry in this cocktail adds a bitter and sharp punch, neutralized by vodka and balanced by ice and lemon. Who doesn't love sipping a cocktail adorned with earthy goodness that you can smell all night long?

Instructions

Combine all in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake cold. Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with basil leaves.

**Cranberry Syrup Instructions

In a saucepan combine all ingredients and bring them to a low boil until cranberries begin to pop open. Once the cranberries pop, remove from heat and let cool. Stain out cranberries with a fine strainer and pour liquid into a glass container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.