All About That Basil: Go On a Basil Cocktail Crawl at These NYC Hotels

It's no secret that we love drinking in hotels here at HotelChatter. In fact, hotels might be our favorite "local." So all this week and next, we'll be pouring out some drinks for you during our second Hotel Cocktail Week(s) -- newly-expanded because there’s just so many drinks to share. We'll be posting quirky cocktails, boozy trends, unique menus and even recipes so you can recreate your favorite hotel drink at home. We expect everyone will be getting a bit tipsy over the next couple of weeks! But don't forget to tip your bartenders, in this case, us.
You can’t beat basil this year as the herb of choice in hip cocktail bars the world over, and nowhere more so than in New York. Join us on a basil bar hop as we hit some of the coolest hotel bars this side of the Atlantic.
1) We’ll start at the nautically-themed Maritime Hotel, found in the Chelsea on the edge of Meatpacking District at 363 West 16th Street. La Bottega trattoria and lounge serves the basil-rich La Primavera cocktail.


La Primavera
1.5 oz Tanteo Tropical tequila
5 oz Canton ginger liqueur
1 oz simple syrup
1/4 oz lime juice
3 basil leaves
Combine ingredients, shake well and pour.
Cost to imbibe at the hotel: $14
Cost to stay at the hotel because you've imbibed too much: $425

2) Next we’ll hit the uber-cool Gansevoort Meatpacking hotel (18 Ninth Avenue) and its Plunge Bar + Lounge. This stop will not only give you your basil fix with The Highline cocktail, but it might also be your last chance to get in a rooftop bar stop before summer wanes, and this one’s a killer with its view of the New York skyline and the Hudson River.


The Highline
1 cucumber slice
1 basil leaf with no stems
2 oz Hendricks gin
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
Club soda
Spanked basil leaf (ooh, this drink's a little naughty)
Muddle one cucumber slice and a basil leaf without the stem. Add the Hendricks, simple syrup and lemon juice and shake. Top with club soda and garnish with a spanked basil leaf in a highball glass.
Cost to imbibe at the hotel: $18
Cost to stay at the hotel because you've imbibed too much: $460
3) Now on to The Jade Hotel at 52 West 13th Street in Greenwich Village. This Art Deco-inspired boutique hotel has a lush gilded bar called the Grape & Vine and here’s where you’ll find the Strawberry Basil Collins, the only one of these basil cocktails with a splash of color.


Strawberry Basil Collins
2 oz gin
3/4 oz strawberry basil simple syrup -- 4 parts water, 3 parts sugar, sliced strawberries
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
Club soda
1 strawberry
Basil leaves
Simmer ingredients for the strawberry basil simple syrup until combined and red in color; then strain and cool. Add a bunch of crushed basil to release the oils. Allow to sit for 24 hours, then strain. Shake gin, syrup and lemon juice with ice and combine over fresh ice in a highball glass. Top with club soda and garnish with a strawberry and some basil.
Cost to imbibe at the hotel: $15
Cost to stay at the hotel because you've imbibed too much: $408
4) Take a dipsy-doodle down to The Bowery Hotel (335 Bowery) in the Lower East Village. This hotel, with its industrial loft and turn-of-the-(last)-century antique look, has a Lobby Bar to match this aesthetic. Try the Regalo Verde to get your basil, which has got to be good for something, right?


Regalo Verde
1 oz Tanteo Jalapeño tequila
1/2 oz St. Germain
1/4 oz green chartreuse
3/4 oz lime
1/4 oz agave syrup
3 basil leaves
Combine the ingredients with ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass and serve.
Cost to imbibe at the hotel: $15
Cost to stay at the hotel because you've imbibed too much: $505
5) You should take a taxi to this last one unless you feel you really need to work off the first four cocktails (but get ready for an hour walk if that’s the case). Just tell your driver you’re going to The Pod 51 Hotel at 230 East 51st Street in Midtown East where the casual but cool Pop@Pod gastropub serves the Basil Lime Gimlet.


Basil Lime Gimlet
2 oz Ketel One or Plymouth gin
Splash of simple syrup
3-4 big basil leaves
Splash of lime juice
Muddle the ingredients, add some ice and shake. Place ice cubes in a rocks glass and strain the ingredients into the glass. Add a splash of soda and garnish the glass with a basil leaf and lime wedge.
Cost to imbibe at the hotel: $13
Cost to stay at the hotel because you've imbibed too much: $295
[Photos: Pod 51 Hotel; Gansevoort Meatpacking; The Jade; The Bowery; and The Maritime]