Review: Square One Basil Vodka
This is one of those ideas that sounded really good when I read about it… and then the sample bottles arrived and they just sat there. Basil flavored vodka? Really? What the heck is that all about?
Square One makes a surprisingly good cucumber vodka, but cukes have a long tradition in cocktailing, dating back (at least) to the Pimm’s Cup. Basil, not so much. I smell basil and I want a pizza, not a drink.
Square One Basil is more of a Thai experience than an Italian one, and indeed it uses four basil varieties — Genovese, Thai, Lemon, and Sweet — in the mix. The impact is striking: Like a Southeast Asian curry, it offers sweet and spicy notes, with a distinct lemongrass character on the nose. The body is lightly peppery and offers clear, well, basil notes. It’s a bit like drinking a liquified, boozed-up pad gra pow gai. And by that I mean it’s better than you’re probably thinking.
Cocktails? Why not. Try it with things that use ginger, coconut, pineapple, and other eastern fruits and essences and see what happens.
80 proof.
B+ / $33 / squareoneorganicspirits.com [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS]
Square One Basil Vodka
$33
