Friday Cocktail: Che Bello! Limoncello, raspberry & basil martini

Some Fridays, you just need a huge hard dollop of booze to ease you into the weekend. If you've had a hectic, catastrophic, or otherwise horrible week, you need to schedule in a little bit of 'you' time with a cocktail that's so flavoursome it's basically going to be my dessert. My dessert to lunch, because it's been THAT kind of Friday.

Limoncello is popping up in a lot of cocktails at the moment, and I really think it's a must for your drinks cupboard. There's a reason basically everyone on the Amalfi coast drinks the stuff: it's super good and a highly refreshing little liqueur with a decent hit of sauce.

Lemon and raspberry are also made for each other, and the basil just makes it that much more complex, flavoursome, and... well, pretty wonderful.

The 'Che Bello!' or Limoncello, Raspberry and Basil Martini recipe (serves one)

Ingredients:

• About 8-10 raspberries
• 2 dashes vanilla syrup or basil-infused simple syrup if you have time to make it
• 40ml limoncello
• 60ml vodka (or 40ml vodka and 20ml citrus vodka if you have it)
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 basil leaves, plus another two to garnish

Shake it!

1. Muddle the raspberries and basil leaves together in a bowl with one of the dashes of syrup. If you're a bit inexperienced, that basically means smooshing it all with the back of a spoon to release the juices and flavours.
2. Extract the basil leaves, and push the raspberries through a sieve (so you get all the juice and none of the seeds.
3. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, mix together the vodka, limoncello and lemon juice, and the second dash of syrup. Shake it like a polaroid picture for about 10 seconds, then strain into a martini glass or champagne saucer.
4. Pour the raspberry puree on top, and stir gently (or leave it if you prefer the 'oh look! There's blobs of pink stuff in my drink!' thing).
5. Garnish with a couple of basil leaves (to intensify the aromas) and a swirl of lemon zest.