Food and Recipes Drinks Cocktails Lemon-Basil Spritzer 5.0 (1) 1 Review Here's a fresh spin on cocktail hour. Our Lemon-Basil Spritzer recipe calls for Champagne or dry sparkling wine, but you can just as easily swap in a liter of lemon-flavored seltzer water for a mocktail with major summer appeal. We kept the list of ingredients short and sweet: lemon, fresh basil leaves, our simple syrup, and your bubbly mix-in of choice. What makes it such a winner is that you can easily keep all of the ingredients on hand throughout the summer so that you're always ready to whip up a batch. It is the perfect start to an alfresco dinner or a porch-sitting session. Top each glass with a garnish of basil leaves and lemon peel twists and you'll have a festive, seasonal treat that's bound to dazzle the taste buds every time. When those dog days come around, you won't find a more thirst-quenching and refreshing companion. By Casey Barber Casey Barber Casey Barber is a food writer, illustrator and photographer; the author of "Pierogi Love: New Takes on an Old-World Comfort Food" and "Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand-Name Treats"; and editor of the website Good. Food. Stories. See more of her work on https://www.caseybarber.com and connect with her on Pinterest and Instagram. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on May 7, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Yield: 6 serves Ingredients 1 batch Simple Syrup 3 (1-inch-long) lemon peel strips 3 large fresh basil leaves 1 (750-ml) bottle chilled Champagne or dry sparkling wine Garnish: basil leaves and lemon peel twists Directions Prepare Simple Syrup. Remove from heat; stir in lemon peel strips and large fresh basil leaves. Cover and steep 30 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl; discard solids. Cool to room temperature, 1 hour. Pour cooled syrup into a 2- to 3-qt. pitcher. Stir in bottle chilled Champagne or dry sparkling wine. Fill 6 stemless wineglasses with ice. Pour cocktail evenly into glasses; garnish with basil leaves and lemon peel twists. Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Chef's Notes For a mocktail, substitute Champagne or dry sparkling wine with 1 liter of lemon-flavored seltzer water. Rate it Print