GRAPEFRUIT BASIL MARTINI

​Grapefruit Basil Martini (for one)
​

• 2 oz organic vodka (or quinoa vodka)
• 2 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice 
• 1 tsp simple syrup (optional)
• 2 medium basil leaves
• ice

Place the the basil leaves in the bottom of a cocktail shaker and muddle with the simple syrup (if using). Add the remaining ingredients and shake for about 10-20 seconds. Pour into a glass and garnish with a grapefruit rind or wedge and a small basil leaf or two.

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I grew up in an Italian and Portuguese family and a good bottle of red wine was almost always present at our table during mealtimes. When I moved to the United States many years ago, I fell in love with craft beers and IPAs.  Although these two are usually my happy hour drinks of choice, lately I've been venturing out and exploring custom cocktails that are visually appealing and made with fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs. But I'm mostly left disappointed, sipping on drinks that are too sweet or too strong and bitter. Thankfully, one of my favorite restaurants, True Food Kitchen, has this lovely drink in their menu called Thai Grapefruit Martini. It has a delicate and interesting flavor of grapefruit and basil that blend seamlessly together and beautifuly complement each other. It is crisp, fresh and not too sweet, with a hint of tartness from the grapefruit and sweet spiciness from the basil. For mine, I used organic sweet basil that I have growing in my balcony, organic grapefruit from my Imperfect Produce box and fair trade quinoa vodka from Fair, a maker of ethical wine and spirits. From their website: "Our company believes in treating all people fairly. Our vision has taken us all over the world to source the best ingredients for our high quality spirits. We believe that all the people involved, in every stage of the process, should be treated equally." And I couldn't agree more.