Raspberry, Basil, Pomegranate Juice

I feel like, with each juice recipe I make, each drink gets better and better and better. All it takes is a lot of fruit, and a little water. It had been a while since I’d made one, but when I was in the grocery store, it occurred to me how good basil leaves, raspberries, and honey would be in a juice. I came home, realized I still had pomegranate arils in my fridge, and set to work with my blender. A lot of people believe you need a juicer to make juice, but really all you need is a working blender, lots of fruit, and a little bit of water. This drink ended up rich in flavor, and tangy and sweet at the same time. It has a good mouth feel, but if you don’t like the pulp, feel free to strain it through a strainer. I love making juices. It’s one of the easiest and quickest recipes to put together. I hope you find yourself loving this recipe as much as I loved developing it.

Ingredients:

5 large basil leaves

3 1/2 cups cold water

3 cups fresh raspberries

1/2 cup pomegranate arils

1/4 cup pure wildflower honey

Directions:

Add the raspberries and arils to a blender. Tear the basil leaves by hand into smaller pieces. Add to the blender. Drizzle in honey. Pour in the cold water. Make sure it’s cold, but NOT ice cold. Put on the cover of the blender. Hold the cover down while you go from the lightest setting to the harder settings, letting the blender go at five to ten seconds while you go through each one. Then, go down from the hardest setting to the lightest settings until you’re at the lightest setting. 

Once the juice is fully blended, leave the cap on and chill in the refrigerator until it’s cold enough to drink. The juice will also be settling with its natural flavors — kind of like a pork roast having to sit after being roasted, but with fruit juice instead. Taste and try it after it’s been chilled for at least an hour.

The juice will be good for up to five days.