Drink Outside the Box

Find yourself with too much of a good thing this summer?  Perhaps that giant tuft of basil is turning a little  brown or those five pounds of cherries are developing some spots.  But they’re on sale now and it’s the height of the season!

At iSi, we say, if you can’t cook with it, drink with it!  Beverages nowadays are astounding: you can find every type of flavor, ones with sugars and without, electrolytes, carbonation – you name it, it’s out there. Why not try something on your own?  This summer, we challenge you to drink outside the box.

This summer, try a variation on one of Kathy Casey’s recipes, created by the clever folks at Food52, providing  a delicious use for those fresh cherries and basil.

Cherry and Thai Basil Soda by Food52
Ingredients for 1 pint Whipper
1 Bunch Thai Basil
500 ml cold water, then 800 ml cold water
1/2 pint cherries, sliced and halved
1/4 cup white sugar, to taste

Procedure:

The night before: remove the basil leaves from the stems and wash well.   Discard any brown/wilted leaves.  Add the leaves to the 500mL cold water and muddle/bruise with a wooden spoon or muddler.  Refrigerate overnight.

Once the cherries are rinsed, stemmed, and halved, add to the 800mL water and boil for about 45 minutes.  When the cherries are boiled and have lost most of their color, taste the juice and add sugar, about 1/4 cup, if necessary.  Filter the juice through a strainer; be sure to remove any pulpy bits (a fine sieve or gold coffee filter is best).  You want the juice as clear as possible.  Press out any remaining juice from the cherries.

Once the fruit juice is cool, strain the basil-infused water into the cherry juice.  Pour the juice into your pre-chilled iSi whipper, screw on one to two iSi soda chargers (however carbonated you’d like!) and shake well.  Refrigerate overnight.  Serve immediately and very chilled.

Note: You can use the Gourmet Whip Plus or Creative Whip for the above applications.  You could even blend the juices and add in carbonated water using our iSi Soda Siphon.

Or how about something slightly more adult?   Kathy Casey of The Liquid Kitchen shows you how to make a delicate and light cocktail incorporating lemon, mint and a touch of local honey using our iSi Gourmet Whip PLUS.  A perfect summer porch drink!

Photo by Food52

Post and photo by Judiaann | PUBLISHED: July 24, 2012