Orange Basil Cocktail

This Orange Basil Cocktail is so refreshing! It is perfect to sip on during happy hour or dinner!  

My new favorite summer drink is an orange basil smash cocktail. It is citrus vodka with fresh squeezed oranges, smashed basil and some mandarin orange club soda. It's not too sweet, very refreshing and it goes down smoothly.

To make this drink, I had to purchase some vodka. Gone are the days when you quickly walk into a liquor store, pick out some vodka and pay for your booze. Things are much more complicated than that.  Walking down the vodka isle can almost make me dizzy. There are so many brands and flavors of vodka, it is hard to pick and choose.

What type of vodka is used in this cocktail?

For this drink, I went with some Svedka Citron.   This lemon and lime vodka is made in Sweden. It made me think of my gorgeous college roommate Eva.  One night long ago, we were out hitting the town (or should I say the college dive bars?). Eva somehow developed a thick Swedish accent and my other roommate and I introduced her to everyone as Eva from Sweden.  She really pulled off the accent and I am pretty sure almost everyone thought she was an exchange student from Sweden.

You can really use any brand of citrus vodka so feel free to pour in your favorite. Because the drink, contains fresh fruit juice and club soda, the cocktail is fairly light in calories which always makes me happy.

Thinking about it, makes me want to revisit the good old college days. But in those days, I think we drank much different beverages. I am pretty sure they didn't make that many flavors of vodka and if they did, it wasn't in our budget.  The two dollar pitchers of warm beer from the local pub were much more affordable than ordering fancy cocktails.  Yes, those were the days.

What food goes with this Orange Basil Cocktail?

Warm pitchers of beer are long gone and now I prefer a cocktail such as this Orange Basil one. There is nothing like relaxing on the patio with a cold beverage and some appetizers. This particular drink goes well with guacamole and chips or a nice Spiced Shrimp Cocktail.   I don't know if you noticed but I used a tall glass and made mine a double.

Here are more appetizers that I like to serve with this cocktail:

• Sweet and Spicy Shrimp (10 Minute Recipe!) 
• Sweet Sriracha Almonds
• Pesto Tortellini Skewers
• Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
• Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Recipe

 Cheers to the weekend! I hope you are relaxing with a nice drink like this one.

RECIPE

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5 from 1 vote

Orange Basil Smash

This refreshing drink is not too sweet and goes down smooth.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Total Time5 minutes mins

Course: alcoholic beverage

Cuisine: cocktail

Servings: 2

Calories: 96kcal

Ingredients

• crushed ice
• 1 orange half squeezed to make fresh juice
• 4 large fresh basil leaves
• 2 ounces of citron vodka
• 8 ounces of Mandarin club soda more if desired

Instructions

• Fill two cocktail glasses with crushed ice.
• Squeeze ½ of the orange and divide the juice into the two glasses. Cut the remaining orange in four slices. Add one slice to the bottom of each glass.
• Add one basil leave to the bottom of each glass and muddle (crush).
• Pour one ounce of vodka into each glass.
• Fill glasses with remaining club soda.
• Garnish with basil and the remaining two fresh orange slices.

Nutrition

Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 24mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 32mg