Pineapple Basil Juice

This drink is an ultimate refresher, and is great for cooling you down in the summer heat.  Basil can be used for more than just pesto and is a common juice ingredient in southeast Asia.  In fact, basil tea and basil seed juice can be purchased in bottles at most corner stores.  

When sugar is added, the leaf is transformed from a typically savoury, European ingredient to an unexpected and surprising tropical curiosity!

I first encountered basil juice in a night market in Vancouver, and later in Bali in a vegan warung  (Indonesian snack stand) and have been making this juice frequently ever since. 

This is a simple recipe which requires few ingredients plus a blender. 

For 4 servings:

• 1 small pineapple
• Handful of basil leaves
• Sugar (to taste)
• 1L Filtered water

Method: 

1) Sin the fruit, remove the core and compost.
2) Chop the pineapple into small chunks and add it to the blender with the rest of the ingredients.
3) Blend blend blend!  blend the mixture for a minute or so.
4) Pour into a glass and drink.