Blueberry Basil Espresso Tonic
This delightful and refreshing blueberry basil espresso tonic is an unexpected treat! It uses an easy blueberry simple syrup paired with the classic espresso and tonic water flavors, with a hint of fresh basil. This is a great iced coffee or mocktail recipe any day of the week!
Servings: 1 drink
Ingredients
- 1 or 2 shots of espresso 1-2 ounces; note, this is the "short" shot, not the lungo
- 3 to 6 ounces of quality tonic water like Q or Fevertree plus more to taste
- 2 or more ounces of blueberry simple syrup (see link in post)
- A few fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Brew your espresso as normal and set aside to cool (you can do this ahead of time).
- To make your drink, add quite a bit of ice to a pint glass (or other large glass), and add the blueberry simple syrup.
- Put the basil leaves in your palm and hard-clap them with your other hand---this releases some of the oils of the basil for more flavor. Then add them to the glass.
- Slowly pour the tonic water over the ice, then add the espresso (doing things in this order helps keep the fizzing manageable).
- Gently stir with a straw or spoon, then taste and add more tonic water if needed. I often add a few more ice cubes for good measure.
Notes
- Typically for espresso tonic, you'll want a 1:3 ratio of espresso to tonic water. But it depends on personal preference and how intense both liquids are. Start there, but then taste and adjust as needed.
- Trust me, real brewed espresso is the way to go here. Regular coffee will definitely not work the same here. I've heard cold brew can work, but that would definitely be a different flavor/vibe and I'm not sure I'm into it.
- Use good tonic water! Not like Schweppes or Canada Dry nonsense, which taste awful, full of weird sugar. Q and Fevertree both use real cane sugar and are less sickly sweet, allowing the flavors to come through.