Charred Onion Rickshaw #MoviesandMunchies

Have you ever had a Rickshaw cocktail? At its base, it's gin and basil syrup. Inspired by Glass Onion: Knives Out 2, I made a version with blue basil simple syrup, Hendricks gin, and charred Vidalia onions in honor of the July Movies & Munchies event.

You can read my invitation to the Movies & Munchies crew. And you have plenty of time if you want to watch and be inspired into the kitchen.

On the Screen

A sequel to Knives Out, Glass Onion: Knives Out 2, is definitively more campy than the original. The ensemble cast - Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson, Daniel Craig, Leslie Odom Jr., Kathryn Hahn, and Dave Bautista - all dazzle in their roles as they don't take themselves too seriously. Even the fleeting cameos of Serena Williams and Yo-Yo Ma were hilariously placed.

Norton's Miles Bron invites his circle of friends to his private Greek island for a murder mystery weekend only one of the friends, Bautista's Duke Cody, actually dies! Then the movie ramps up into a British-style murder mystery with Craig's Benoit Blanc guiding the crew in solving the crime. They must peel away the layers of subterfuge and misdirection like an onion to reveal the truth.

One of my favorite scenes...

Benoit Blanc: His dock doesn't float. His wonder fuel is a disaster. His grasp of disruption theory is remedial at best. He didn't design the puzzle boxes. He didn't write the mystery. Et voila! It all adds up. The key to this entire case. And it was staring me right in the face. Like everyone in the world, I assumed Miles Bron was a complicated genius. But why? Look into the clear centre of this glass onion.

"Miles Bron is an idiot!...Nobody tried to kill you, you vainglorious buffoon!"

In My Glass

This is my own version of a rickshaw which is a gin-based libation made with basil. Add to that the sweetness of charred onion and you have cocktail bliss. The ingredients are simple, but the flavors are fantastic. You do need to plan a little bit ahead as the onions should infuse in the gin for at least 24 hours.

Ingredients

Charred Onion-Infused Gin

• 1 to 2 onions, peeled, thickly sliced

• 2 cups gin

African Blue Basil Simple Syrup

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup fresh African blue basil (you can use any basil, I just love the look of the blue basil and we have a plant in our garden)

Cocktail makes 1

• 2 ounces charred onion-infused gin

• 1 ounce basil simple syrup

• 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice (approximately 1 lemon, I used a Meyer lemon)

• cucumber slices, for garnish

• basil blossom, for garnish

• charred onion for garnish

Procedure

Charred Onion-Infused Gin

Place thick slices of onions on a grill or grill pan until charred and softened. Pour gin into a sterile jar with a lid. Drop the onions into the gin. Cover and let infuse for at least 24 hours.

African Blue Basil Simple Syrup

Place sugar and water together in a medium saucepan. Over medium heat, cook until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let simmer for 1 minute. For a thicker syrup, cook it longer. We prefer ours thin. Submerge the leaves and blossoms until they are completely covered. Let stand until syrup is cooled. Pour into a sterile mason jar but do not strain.

Cocktail

In your cocktail shaker pour in simple syrup and lemon juice. Pour in the gin and shake. Fill a glass with ice and pour cocktail over the ice through the strainer.

Garnish with blue basil blossom and a skewer with a cucumber slice and a few pieces of charred onions.

Cheers!