Jekka’s Purple Basil Cordial

The perfect summer cordial that can be made into a refreshing summer drink with fizzy water or turned into a fabulous cocktail.

Ingredients:

• 150ml water
• 150gms white sugar
• 1 handful of fresh Basil leaves, Jekka's choice is Red Rubin Basil. You can also make a Lemon Verbena cordial or Citrus Trilogy cordial using Jekka's Herbal Infusion found here.

Steps:

1. Put the water and sugar into a small saucepan. 
2. Put the pan on a low heat and stir from time to time until the sugar is dissolved. 
3. Bring to simmering point to form a syrup. 
4. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the Basil leaves (or alternative) and stir well. 
5. Cover the saucepan and leave for at least 3 hours, check the syrup is to the flavour you like.  I personally like a strong flavour, so I leave the Basil syrups to steep overnight. 
6. Strain the syrup, removing the leaves, into a sterilized bottle, label and store. The syrup will keep for 6 weeks in the fridge.

To use, simply dilute with soda or tonic water to taste or use as a base for a cocktail. Garnish with leaves of the herb you used. Enjoy!

If you love the sounds of this recipe and herb-based cooking check out our Master Classes and other herb-based recipes.