Tomato cooler with basil

Votes: 1

Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Complexity: easily
Servings: 1

This refreshing drink features homemade tomato shrub and basil. This sweet vinegar can be added to any cocktail, including mocktails. We opted for a no-alcohol approach to this cooler, which you can enjoy all day long. Its sweet notes come from the basil sugar, which is part of the shrub and also serves as a garnish. Basil sugar is so delicious that you can add any leftovers to sugar cookies or peanut sauce for noodles.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Cocktail

1 cherry tomato for serving
1/4 tbsp. basil sugar (see recipe below)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
60 ml tomato shrub with basil (see recipe below), chilled
180 ml of sparkling water, chilled
Additionally: paper straw, for serving

Tomato Shrub with Basil

450 g ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp. basil sugar (see recipe below)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
0.5 cup white balsamic vinegar

Basil sugar

1 and 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Recipes with similar ingredients: cherry tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, carbonated water

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Prepare the garnish by making cross-shaped cuts in the top and bottom of a cherry tomato. Poke a paper straw through the cuts and set aside.
Pour 0.5 cm of water into a small bowl. On a small plate, mix the basil sugar and salt.

Dip the rim of an 8- to 10-ounce (240-300 ml) cocktail glass in water, then dip it in the basil sugar mixture. Add two to three 1-inch (2.5 cm) ice cubes to the garnished glass, carefully add the tomato shrub, then top up with club soda. Stir with a prepared straw, securing the tomato about 1/2 inch (1 cm) from the rim of the glass, and serve.
Tomato Shrub with Basil

Combine the tomatoes, basil sugar (see below), and salt in a small saucepan and stir until the sugar begins to dissolve. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes, until the tomatoes soften and release their juices and the skins separate, 25–30 minutes. No need to add water; the tomatoes will release a lot of liquid.
Remove from heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium heatproof bowl, squeezing out as much juice as possible. Transfer the shrub to a glass jar and refrigerate for 24 hours. The shrub can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Yield: approximately 2 tablespoons.
Basil sugar

Combine the sugar and basil in a mini food processor and pulse until the basil is finely chopped and combined with the sugar. You may need to stir occasionally to ensure the basil is evenly distributed. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Yield: about 1.5 cups.