Yu the Great
Alex Lau
This recipe is excerpted from Good Drinks: Alcohol-Free Drinks for When You're Not Drinking for Any Reason by Julia Bainbridge. "Former beverage director Samantha Azarow leaned on coconut milk in order to keep Departure’s menu dairy-free, and it works to marry two seemingly incompatible ingredients in this drink: basil and matcha," says Bainbridge. "I tested the recipe with Italian basil, out of curiosity, and it didn’t work. You really want Thai basil, which is less sweet, more herbal and licorice-like—spicy, even. It’s grown domestically these days, and if it’s not at your local supermarket, you can find it at Southeast Asian stores or order it online. Find matcha powder at most major grocery stores or at kettl.co. And feel free to bump up the lime juice to one ounce if you want more acidity."
This recipe, and others like it, can be found in the article "It’s Time to Put a (Good) Nonalcoholic Cocktail on Every Restaurant Menu."
How to Make It
1
Basil-Matcha Syrup: Combine the matcha powder, basil, sugar, and 3⁄4 cup hot water in a blender and blend on high until smooth and bright green and the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined strainer, discard the solids, and let the syrup cool to room temperature. The syrup will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator.
2
Combine the syrup, lime juice, and coconut milk in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice, seal the shaker, and shake just to combine, about 3 seconds. Double-strain into a tumbler filled with ice and top with soda water. (This will produce foam, so pour slowly and carefully.) To garnish, sift matcha powder on top of the foam.
3
Batch for 6: Combine 3⁄4 cup syrup, 1⁄2 cup plus 2 tsp. lime juice, 3⁄4 cup coconut milk, and 2 cups ice in a blender and pulse once or twice, just to combine. Divide among 6 tumblers and top each with soda water. Garnish each with a dusting of matcha powder.
Ingredients
1 fl oz Basil-Matcha Syrup (recipe follows)
¾ fl oz freshly squeezed lime juice
1 fl oz full-fat coconut milk, well shaken
3 fl oz soda water
Matcha powder, for garnish
Basil-Matcha Syrup (Makes Enough for 10 Drinks)
1 ½ tsp matcha powder
1 cup loosely packed fresh Thai basil leaves
1 cup sugar
Directions
1
Basil-Matcha Syrup: Combine the matcha powder, basil, sugar, and 3⁄4 cup hot water in a blender and blend on high until smooth and bright green and the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined strainer, discard the solids, and let the syrup cool to room temperature. The syrup will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator.
2
Combine the syrup, lime juice, and coconut milk in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice, seal the shaker, and shake just to combine, about 3 seconds. Double-strain into a tumbler filled with ice and top with soda water. (This will produce foam, so pour slowly and carefully.) To garnish, sift matcha powder on top of the foam.
3
Batch for 6: Combine 3⁄4 cup syrup, 1⁄2 cup plus 2 tsp. lime juice, 3⁄4 cup coconut milk, and 2 cups ice in a blender and pulse once or twice, just to combine. Divide among 6 tumblers and top each with soda water. Garnish each with a dusting of matcha powder.
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