There’s something about the flavor of peach we find very wintery. It’s usually more closely associated with summer, but there’s something about its mild sweetness and delicate taste that make us think of a cold winter’s day. And so, we set out on a mission to create the perfect winter peach cocktail.
Our Mountain Valley Sparkling White Peach was the obvious choice to add some fizz. It’s fresh. It’s light. It’s fun. We also decided to make a homemade peach simple syrup (it’s easy and quick) to really bring home that peachiness. The syrup is to die for! But we needed another flavor, something that went perfectly with peach.
We tried mint, and it works. But it just seemed like something was missing. Then we experimented with basil and… aha! We found the right combo. Basil has a sharpness to it, an almost spiciness that compliments peach deliciously. How did we not think of this before!
In fact, now we’ve started putting basil leaves in every glass of Mountain Valley Sparkling White Peach that we drink! It’s a pair for the ages and an easy, healthy combo for a refreshing treat.
Back to the cocktail. Again, we experimented a bit with liquor choice. Vodka worked okay, but gin is by far and away the winner. Its piney flavor and slight bitterness slide right into the peach/basil combo like a perfect sled ride. And like a sled ride, there’s something distinctly wintery about gin that makes this concoction truly festive.
For this recipe, you don’t need too many ingredients. For the peach syrup, you just need a chopped peach and a 2:1 ratio of sugar to water. The rest of the beverage consists of the fresh basil, gin, and our white peach sparkling water. Not complicated, and you’re going to love the syrup.
To make the syrup, add sugar and water to a small pot and bring to a boil. Then add a chopped peach (no pit) and reduce to a simmer. Keep the mixture on simmer until the peaches get super soft, around 5 minutes or so. Cover the pot and continue to simmer until cooked down to a thicker syrup, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. From there, you can strain out the peach chunks if you want or leave them in for a bit of texture. Put your syrup in the refrigerator to keep it cold until ready to serve.
Now you’re ready for cocktail hour! Muddle the basil leaves and syrup in the bottom of a glass. Add gin, sparkling water, and ice and give a good stir. Garnish with a thinly sliced peach and it’s ready to go!
Basil Peach Winter Cocktail
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 1 ounce of gin
- 1 ounce of peach syrup
- 4-5 basil leaves, torn
- 6 ounces Mountain Valley Sparkling White Peach
- Sliced peach for garnish
- Peach Syrup
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 finely chopped peach
Instructions
- For peach syrup, add water and sugar to a pot and bring to a boil.
- Add chopped peach pieces and reduce to simmer.
- Cook until peaches are very soft, around 5 minutes.
- Cover and continue to simmer until cooked down to a syrup, 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from heat and cool.
- Strain out peach chunks if desired, and place syrup in the fridge to cool until time to use.
- Muddle basil leaves and syrup in the bottom of a glass.
- Add gin and sparkling water. Give a quick stir.
- Garnish with a thin slice of peach.
