Basil Orange Mimosa

Happy New Year! I hope yours is off to a great start. And if not...I've got a delicious cure for you! I'm kind of a sucker for a delicious beverage...especially if that beverage contains alcohol, and especially if it's socially acceptable to drink it for breakfast!  (You too?)
Okay, I'm really not an alcoholic, and I rarely drink in the morning...but what better way to ring in the New Year than with a drink!?

There is much to celebrate, that is for sure. I am blessed. And one of my resolutions for 2013 is to focus more on celebrating what is rather than dwelling on what isn't. So today, the first day of the New Year, I am toasting to all that is - the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly - in my life and yours. All of it is blessed.

(I know.... I get sentimental when I toast... :)

Anyway... let's have a mimosa! With a twist, of course.

The best twist I know of? A little thing called Basil Simple Syrup.

Mix it with anything fruity and it takes it to a whole new level.
Lemonade? Delicious. Basil lemonade? Outrageously good.
Strawberries? Superb. Strawberries drizzled with basil syrup? O.M.G.

Okay, enough talking... let's get you a drink!


Basil Orange Mimosa
1/2 orange, peeled & muddled
8 oz. champagne
2 oz. orange juice
2 Tbsp. basil syrup

Muddle orange segments; add champagne, orange juice, and basil syrup. Mix well. Remove pithy parts of orange to eliminate bitterness.


Basil Simple Syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup fresh basil leaves (a little less is ok)

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in basil leaves. Let cool. Store in the refrigerator.

Happy New Year - Enjoy!

Thanks for taking a peek inside my Lemon Tree Dwelling!
I hope you feel right at home :)
-Cathy


*Linking up this week to these lovely blogs - thanks to all for hosting!

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