• Place whole basil leaves in the bottom of a collins glass and fill with ice.
• Pour all ingredients except for soda into a cocktail shaker.
• Add ice and shake.
• Strain mixture into the collins glass and top with soda.
• Garnish with basil sprig and, if you’re feeling fancy, a skewer of blackberries and onion.

*For the basil blanc syrup:

• Pour vermouth into an airtight container and add basil leaves.
• Let sit at cool room temperature for 24 hours.
• Strain and rebottle the liquid, then use to add depth and flavor to Under the Texas Sun, plus Negronis, Manhattans, or even simple soda water and lemon.  

**For the wild growth blackberry syrup:

• Pour all ingredients into a medium saucepan and boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally so the sugar doesn’t burn. 
• Turn off heat and stir well. Let cool. 
• Transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender stick to blend, until mixture reaches a souplike consistency. 
• Strain with a fine-mesh strainer to remove any onion bits or blackberry seeds. 
• Pour into a storage container and refrigerate. Syrup will last one week.