Strawberry, Lemon, and Basil Soda

By west757

At San Francisco's Contigo, chef Brett Emerson created this muddled soda to showcase the small, sweet strawberries he finds at the farmers' market.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon raw sugar
• 6 fresh basil leaves
• 5 small strawberries (or 3 large strawberries, quartered) plus 1 thin slice for garnish
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 3/4 cup soda water

Preparation

Step 1

Combine fresh lemon juice, raw sugar, basil, whole strawberries, and salt in a pint glass. Muddle ingredients with a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves. Add ice cubes and soda water and stir until chilled. Strain into a 12-oz. glass filled with ice cubes and garnish with a strawberry slice.