Name: Basil Limeade
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Yield: 1 1/2 cups syrup
Ingredients: zest of two limes; juice of two limes plus enough water to make a full cup; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Homemade soda syrups may seem fussy or complicated, but this basil limeade is quick and easy to make. Whether mixed with cold water, seltzer, or club soda, this basil limeade syrup is a simple, quick, and delicious way to refresh yourself from the summer heat!

There was a time in my life when I drank almost zero water. My hydration came in the form of sweet tea and soda, which we bought in 2-liter bottles (mostly Coke and Dr. Pepper). It’s hard for me to imagine us back in that time, to be honest with you. We really didn’t drink all that much of that stuff, even. In 2006, Philip had surgery; if you’ve ever been under general anesthesia, you know that they tell you to drink LOTS of water prior to surgery. I decided to chug along with him and we never looked back. We quickly realized what a state of dehydration we had been living in for all those years.

Now, a half a gallon of water a day is pretty much par for the course. I’ve had two doctors tell me that the “8 8-ounce glasses a day” wisdom is outdated, but my answer to them is that I know that I feel better when I drink that much. I sip all day and, besides coffee and milk (which we keep for cereal and occasionally for mixing with protein powder), we rarely buy any other beverages.

It’s not to say that we don’t like soft drink. We’re just pretty selective about it when we choose to have one. I love to buy the occasional bottle of Pure Sodaworks, and lemonade is pretty much the most perfect thing I an imagine on a hot summer day. Unless you can jazz up your lemonade. Then, always jazz up your lemonade. Or, make your own soda syrup. I bought the book Homemade Soda a couple of years back, and it’s a great source of inspiration.

I dreamed up this basil limeade when I bought a full bag of limes a week or two ago. We have a basil plant in our kitchen and the two just seemed to go together so well. I zested a lime and juiced a couple, then made a simple syrup with the juice. I added the basil to infuse the syrup and let it all cool to room temperature. I mixed it with seltzer, but water would work too. Basil limeade turned out to be a great decision for a hot Tennessee day, and since I made it myself, it doesn’t have a long list of impossible-to-pronounce ingredients!