Basil is a wonderful herb, it is sweet and it is peppery and if I could I would use it as a perfume! I already dab myself with bergamot oil now and then and maybe I will find a basil oil that I can use like that one day! I am experimenting with new combinations and new uses and sooner and later I will manage to make something that is worth blogging about! Today I am posting a recipe that could be called Basilcello as it is made in the same way. I did have a recipe to start with but I modified it as usual. Unfortunately I can’t tell you where i found the recipe as it is a little cut-out from some magazine and I can’t remember which, all I can tell is that it is Italian. It is a very strong and sweet liquid this and it should be drunk icy cold by those who really like basil, if you’re not a fan you better skip it! Just like I skip gin.
This is my Weekend Herb Blogging entry for this weekend, Kalyn is on a trip so the round-up might appear on Tuesday at Kalyn’s Kitchen!
BASILCELLO
30 leaves of basil, I mixed very large ones with normal sized ones
600 ml/2,5 cups of 95% alcohol (I have been trying to find out how much that is in proof but all I can say is that 100% alcohol is 200 proof)
700 ml/3 cups water
500 g/1,1 lb sugar
- Put the basil leaves in a jar large enough to contain the alcohol and pour it over the leaves.
- Close it hermetically and leave it to rest for 3-4 days. Shake it now and then. After just a few hours the alcohol is green!
- Boil water and sugar for 10 minutes and let it cool down.
- Mix the alcohol with the syrup, mix it and filter the liquid.
- Put it in bottles and let them rest for 2 weeks before drinking.
Did you ever have a problem with a black like slime when your basilcello was being made? I had a problem with that and I kept straining it through cheesecloth but it still had a bit. It still tasted great anyway but freaked me out a bit. Did you use regular Italian basil? I was thinking about trying a new batch with Thai basil. I'll let you know how it works out.
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