New Years Eve. Cocktails? A nip of sugar syrup will a sweet kick to your cocktail.  If you’re the bartender for the evening, here’s a syrup made with sweet summer strawberries and infused with peppery basil. Demerara sugar is used for the caramel and vanilla-like flavour, but use castor sugar instead if it’s not in the pantry shelf. The syrup will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge. For a refreshing non-alcoholic drink, use as a cordial topped with soda.  Don’t have a cocktail shaker? Use a 500ml screw top jar.

Strawberry Syrup (makes about 220ml)

250g strawberries, roughly chopped and leaves discarded 

1 cup demerara sugar

250ml water

1 sprig basil

Place the strawberries, sugar and water into a medium saucepan over a high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.  Turn off heat. Fold the basil sprig into three and tear leaves. Stir in the basil and set aside for an hour.

Strain the syrup through a sieve, into a jug, without pressing down on the cooked fruit. Discard the fruit and basil leaves. Store the syrup in a sealed bottle in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Now, here are some cocktail serving suggestions…

French ‘Strawberry’ 75

For 1 drink

1 coupette glass

30ml Bass & Flinders gin

¼ lemon

4 strawberries

15ml strawberry syrup

crushed ice

Mornington Peninsula sparkling white wine, to top

Place the gin, lemon, strawberries and syrup into a cocktail shaker. Muddle to break up strawberries, bruise lemon and combine. Add the ice, cover with lid and shake until the metal tine is frosted, Strain into the glass and top with champagne.

Mock French “strawberry’ 75

30ml Seedlip Spice 94 (non-alcoholic spirit)

¼ lemon

4 strawberries

15ml strawberry syrup

crushed ice

non-alcoholic sparking wine to top

Place the gin, lemon, strawberries and syrup into a cocktail shaker. Muddle to break up strawberries, bruise lemon and combine. Add the ice, cover with lid and shake until the metal tin is frosted, Strain into the glass and top with champagne.

Gin & Rosso Vermouth

1 highball or tumbler

50ml Bass & Flinders gin

25ml Allies Cinq a Sept (red vermouth)

15ml strawberry syrup

4 strawberries

ice, for mixing

soda water, to top

Fill a glass with ice. Place strawberries, gin, vermouth and sugar syrup into a shaker.  Add the ice, cover with lid and shake hard for about 15 seconds to break up the strawberries and the metal tin is frosted. Strain into the highball glass and top up with soda water.

Strawberry-osa

Champagne flute or coupe

20ml strawberry sugar syrup

sparkling white, (or non-alcoholic sparkling wine) to top

Add syrup to chilled glass. Top with sparkling wine and gently stir to combine.