Cherry & Thai Basil Soda

Directions

1. The night before: remove the Basil leaves from the stems and wash well. Discard any brown/wilted leaves. Add the leaves to the 500mL cold water and muddle/bruise with a wooden spoon or muddler. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Once the cherries are rinsed, stemmed, and halved, add to the 800mL water and boil for about 45 minutes.
3. When the cherries are boiled and have lost most of their color, taste the juice and add sugar, about 1/4 cup, if necessary. Filter the juice through a strainer; be sure to remove any pulpy bits (a fine sieve or gold coffee filter is best). You want the juice as clear as possible. Press out any remaining juice from the cherries
4. Once the fruit juice is cool, strain the Thai Basil-infused water into the cherry juice.
5. If using a Soda Siphon, pour the juice into your pre-chilled Soda Siphon, lock in the CO2 cartridge, shake well, and refrigerate overnight. If using a SodaStream carbonator, pour the juice into the bottle and carbonate, carefully, until the soda is carbonated to your liking. Serve immediately and very chilled.