Drinks: Spicy Thai Basil Gimlet

Jes, Jen (some call her J-Leh but not me) and I went to Vegetate last night for food and drinks.  I confirmed that I do not like Victory's Golden Monkey.  I first had it in Philadelphia at Moriarty's when we lived there (so several years ago).  When I saw it on the menu, I thought I remembered the drink (it had made quite an impression on me), but thought I would give it another go to see if my first impressions were accurate or whether my palate was simply unrefined way back when.

As expected, my palate was then, as now, impeccable.  I didn't like it.  Why?  Well, it's a Belgian-style ale, which I generally appreciate.  But as anyone who drinks Belgian ales knows, they are challenging to say the least.  I this case, I think challenged is somewhat more accurate.  It's just not very tasty.  There are some very particular flavors that I associate with Belgian ales that predominated, but they weren't the good ones.  I encourage you to try it though - let me know your thoughts!

Also, it didn't go very well with my meal, a terrifically delicious, slightly spicy, very hardy seasonal vegetable risotto.  I'm not sure I expected it to go with the meal, but I would imagine Chimay would have.

So, post-meal, as Jes and Jen pondered the difference between sherbet and gelato, I was despondent and looking for something interesting to drink.  I noticed on the end of the collection of bottles behind the bar, a lonely-looking bottle hand-labeled "Thai Chili".  I asked the bartender what it was used in.  She replied, "Nothing at the moment that is on the menu."  I asked her what vodka went into its making.  She replied, "Charbay" and showed me an unadulterated bottle.

It was very handsome, and looked frosted.  I had never heard of Charbay, but it looked respectable enough, especially since any "handcrafted" alcohol I have ever consumed has been a tasty adventure at the least.  Certainly, no Hawkeye Vodka!

So I resolved to rescue this poor little bottle of Thai chili-infused handcrafted spirit from obscurity.

Taking a glance at the menu, I noticed that there was a cocktail called the Thai Basil Gimlet, which was composed of Thai basil, organic vodka, and lime juice.  Reflecting on pleasant memories of hispanic food combining spice and citrus, I figured this would be a good place to start.  I asked the bartender what her professional opinion was of substituting the chili-infused vodka for the typical fare in the recipe.  She thought it would be a good idea, and so did I.

She muddled a couple of perfect Thai basil leaves (carefully selected, I might add) in a highball glass, threw in some ice, poured a goodly portion of the vodka (thank you!) and about a third as much fresh lime juice, shook vigorously, and strained into a tumbler.  It was garnished with another beautiful basil leaf, and placed in front of me.

Anticipation.

Sip.

Yow!  Very very tasty, with a spicy kick that for me resided mostly in the back of the throat.  Jes and Jen both felt it was too spicy for them.  It was definitely a sipping drink - no slamming this if you know what's good for you!

I will have to experiment with the recipe at home, but here on my thoughts on what the recipe should be:

Spicy Thai Basil Gimlet

3 oz. chili-infused vodka

1 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice

2 basil leaves, plus basil for garnish

Muddle the basil leaves, add the vodka and lime juice and plenty of ice, shake or stir vigorously to chill.  Strain into glass, garnish with a basil leaf.  Enjoy slowly!

LESSON: Always try everything twice.