THE SUN is finally here to stay (for a few months, anyway), and with it come the smells and tastes of summer. As a child, some of my favorite additions to warm-weather meals were the herbs - chives, rosemary, dill, basil - that my mother would pluck from the backyard garden and sprinkle on salads, pastas, and cold soups.
Now that I'm a grown-up city girl, backyard herb gardens have been replaced by potted herbs on my kitchen windowsill. But one whiff of basil's familiar, earthy sweetness is still enough to fill my head with daydreams of Thai food, tomatoes, mozzarella, and strawberries. Beloved for its versatility, basil cooperates nicely with acidity, sugar, spice, and ... Bacardi?
Yup. Believe it or not, basil is actually the perfect pungent accent to gin, vodka, or rum, and it can kick your favorite spirits up to a whole new level of flavor. Now that temperatures seem to be holding steady and the skies are (hopefully) free of springtime showers, basil is in its prime.
"Basil season is as late or as soon as the summer can protect the crop," says Danny Botkin, owner of Laughing Dog Farm (398 Main Road, Gill, 413.863.8696), an organic farm that grows, among countless other crops, a variety of basil. "It thrives in warm, dry weather. Wet and rainy weather tends to muck it up."
Of course, you don't have to trek all the way out to western Massachusetts to enjoy the wonders of fresh basil cocktails. Though farmland and gardens are few and far between inside the city limits, Boston bars offer a spectrum of herbal delights that range from savory to fruity, from twists on your old favorites to whole new taste sensations.
"Basil has become much more popular recently," says Kelly Gallagher, a bartender at Noir (Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett Street, Cambridge, 617.661.8010). Noir's comprehensive list of quirky cocktails includes the Chartreuse Basil ($12), a light, summery blend of green Chartreuse, basil, and lime that has a multi-layered, slightly floral body. "People are sick of the same old, same old," Gallagher notes. "People who know that basil is good in drinks tend to seek it out."
Seek and ye shall find, basil lovers. The Mary Provençale ($9) at Sel de la Terre (255 State Street, Boston, 617.720.1300) is simply magnifique, a French-kissed Bloody Mary that blends basil-infused tomato juice with vodka and spices. Rich and zesty, this drink wows the tongue with that lovely coupling of tomato and basil that we've come to know so well. It's the perfect drink to round out a lazy Sunday brunch, or alongside a nighttime nibble of Sel de la Terre's popular rosemary pommes frîtes.
If you enjoy matching cocktails with your dinner, try the Basil-Lime Gimlet ($11) at Via Matta (79 Park Plaza, Boston, 617.422.0008). This smooth, cool concoction of Absolut, fresh lime, and basil pairs excellently with Via Matta's eclectic menu of sophisticated Italian fare; after all, basil is one of the signature flavors of Italy. And the tartness of lime goes hand in hand with - you guessed it - basil's mellow sweetness.
Italy, sure. Ireland, however, seems like a stretch. Nonetheless, the Blarney Stone (1505 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester, 617.436.8223) has created a signature basil flavor of its own - and they didn't even need to add Guinness. The Basil Bomb ($7.50) is a sweeter version of Via Matta's gimlet, adding simple syrup to the mix of vodka, basil, and freshly squeezed lime. It's a cultured (and tasty!) alternative to a frothy pint.
Over the past few years, mojitos have become astronomically popular, as barhoppers have discovered how perfect the minty drinks are for steamy nights on the town. Excelsior (272 Boylston Street, Boston, 617.426.7878) has found a way to turn the traditional rum cocktail into a modern classic with its Bajito ($12), a muddled marriage of Bacardi Select, fresh lime, mint, sugar, and basil, the taste of which cha-cha-chas its way up to the back of your soft palate.
Like the aforementioned strawberries of my daydreams, fruit is an excellent complement to the subtle sweetness of basil. The martini-shaking geniuses at 28 Degrees (1 Appleton Street, Boston, 617.728.0728) are well versed in mixing refreshingly unusual drinks, and the Blueberry Basil Martini ($11) leads the pack. Stoli Blueberi, blueberry purée, fresh lemon, and basil swirl together in violet-blue harmony. It's like a smoothie meets happy hour meets all the buzz of a Saturday night in June.
Even if your palate isn't terribly adventurous, you're bound to love the twinge of fresh-from-the-earth sweetness that basil brings to the table - er, glass. It's subtle enough that your taste buds won't be overpowered, but bright enough to give your cocktail some extra oomph. Fresh herbs are the very essence of warm-weather bliss, and even though agricultural technology allows us to enjoy them year-round, there's nothing quite like relishing a flavor that's actually in season. Somehow, our bodies just know. "Basil defines a sensory experience," says Matt Reiser, wine director at UpStairs on the Square (91 Winthrop Street, Cambridge, 617.864.1933). "The second it's torn or picked, you are transported to a summer vacation." While that sprig or sprinkle may not come direct from mom's backyard garden or your urban windowsill stash, fresh basil still tastes like a sweet summer evening at home. @
