Peach-basil julep

Necessity is the mother of invention, right? Last night, as service was winding down at the restaurant, I found myself discussing peaches with the chef and line cooks. We had some good ones, really juicy, and I proposed making peach juleps for the end-of-the-night cocktail.

Alas, we could not find any mint.

"Well, give me some basil," I said, "and we'll see what happens."

(Since I've made basil juleps before.)

I muddled together some fresh torn basil and pieces of fresh peach, added Maker's Mark and grapefruit bitters, and voila! The peach-basil julep was born.

Later I threw in some fresh blackberries, too, but that is purely optional.

Warning: this drink is a bit chunky. But that's the best part, I think, as you can slurp down all the boozy fruit pulp in the bottom of the glass.

1 ripe peach
1 bunch fresh basil
Maker's Mark or other bourbon
Grapefruit bitters

Muddle together 4-5 basil leaves and 1/3 peach, in pieces, until pulpy. Add 2 oz bourbon and grapefruit bitters. Shake with ice, and pour out into a glass. Garnish with basil.