Bill DeGroot's Basil Gimlet

The Basil Gimlet

​Yesterday we met Bill DeGroot, the bartender-turned-consultant who designs the cocktails at South Mountain's Quiessence (6106 S. 32nd St, 602-276-0601). Today he shares the recipe for the Vodka Gimlet, one of the restaurant's "farmhouse cocktails" that makes use of fresh basil grown feet away on Maya's Farm. DeGroot says he plans to use different varieties of basil depending on the season -- he already has a purple basil gimlet in the works for fall. Herbaceous yet subtle, the drink boasts aromatic basil backed by honey sweetness.

Get the recipe after the jump.

The ingredients:

2 oz. Glacier potato vodka

½ oz. fresh lime juice 

½ oz. organic agave nectar 

5 whole basil leaves

How to make it:

Muddle the basil leaves, lime juice and agave nectar in the bottom of a shaker to release the essential oils. Add vodka and ice. Shake well to mix and break up basil leaf particles. Strain into a martini glass. Sip and enjoy freshness you can taste.