Essential · 5 minutes with chilled ingredients · Serves 1
Garden Red — Essential
Illustrative image generated with AI, not a photo of the cooked dish.
A red sour: fruit adds body, basil freshness and pepper only aroma. The base is dry gin; serve cold and evaluate at actual dilution.
This version uses measured store-bought ingredients and keeps the flavor axis of its Signature sibling. Initial documentary formula, with no physical tasting recorded; sweetness and acidity need an initial trial with specific products.
Special equipment: Jigger, strainer and chilled glassware
Ingredients
Mix
- 45 ml Dry gin, 40% ABV.
- 30 ml Store-bought unsweetened strawberry purée.
- 20 ml Fresh strained lemon juice.
- 15 ml Store-bought 1:1 simple syrup.
- 1 basil leaf for shaking and another for garnish.
- 2 food-grade pink peppercorns.
- Potable ice: cubes for shaking; no serving ice.
Method
Mix
- Check labels for no added sugar except in syrup; chill products to 5 °C or below. Measure each dose directly for one drink. Flavor varies by brand; record products in the first trial.
- Add one basil leaf to the liquids. Shake with ice for 10–12 seconds and double-strain into a chilled glass without ice. Nominal liquid volume is 110 ml; about 20 ml of preparation ice melt is assumed, except in a built highball. Measure actual dilution in the first trial; do not top up to a fixed volume.
The serve
Serve in a chilled stemmed glass, with cubes for shaking; no serving ice. Apply one basil leaf and two lightly crushed food-grade pink peppercorns immediately before serving without blocking the sip. Expect strawberry, basil and pink peppercorn first; as ice melts, evaluate whether gin remains present and sweetness and acidity stay balanced.
Key points
- Measure every liquid; nominal volume is not an observed yield.
- Keep fresh ingredients cold and serve immediately.
- Record brand, composition and ABV to make the result repeatable.
- Adjust one variable per tasting; this formula has not been physically validated.
Notes
- Theoretical strength: 18 ml nominal absolute alcohol / (110 ml mix + 20 ml assumed dilution) = approximately 13.8% ABV. This excludes serving ice melt and volume contraction. Actual dilution depends on ice, time, temperature and technique. The Essential version assumes no added sugar in products and syrup comparable to 1:1; check labels and adjust after tasting.
- Consume in the same session. Do not infer microbiological shelf life for juice, purée or cocktail from alcohol content. Do not bottle for another day.